A Six Month Journey
by o0vicarious-living0o
Summary: A man scorned, Natsu dragged me with him on a highly dangerous six month job. Easy for him to spend six months alone with me, but for someone like me who had wanted him for so long... What was I to do? Rated 'M' for a reason. NaLu. Edolas and on are null and void. Lisanna never left.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: Nothing of FairyTail belongs to me.**_

 _ **Note: I do not like doing many author's notes, so I'm saying this now – This world is AU simply because Edolas never happened and Lisanna went to live with the Strauss' aunt and came back instead of Edolas happening. Any information that was shared from the start of Edolas and on is null and void in this story. So, yeah. Enjoy!**_

 **Chapter One: A New Adventure**

"Natsu, hold up!" I yelled, adjusting my shirt as I tried to regain my breath. Catching up to Natsu was hard, especially when he was sprinting as fast as he could towards the Guild Hall and I certainly didn't stand a chance against the Dragon Slayer's strength. Especially when he was so excited. The fire breather had shown up at my apartment at the crack of dawn, pouncing on me in my slumber to inform me that some super special job had been posted at the Guild, and he wanted to get to it before anyone else could.

As tired as I was, I couldn't exactly blame him. The reward was two million jewel and two supposedly "rare" Gate Keys. Though I was highly skeptical about the Gate Keys considering I had nine of the Zodiacs, which were supposed to be the most powerful. However, I couldn't pass up the chance to get my hands on part of the reward jewel. Natsu had been in such a rush that he couldn't even give me the courtesy of explaining the job before taking off out of my window.

That's how I found myself running through the streets of Magnolia, calling after Natsu as I tried to comb my fingers through my rat's nest of hair. I had definite bedhead, and I hadn't even had time to slip on my shoes. The only thing I managed to do before leaving my apartment after Natsu was slip on a purple tube top and my favorite black skirt.

It only took a few moments of running before I could finally see the Guild Hall, home to the Guild of Fairy Tail. I was definitely out of breath and energy, which made me wish I had just called Virgo to carry me. I would have, too, but I could never treat my Spirits as such. Not to mention the fact that, if this job was as difficult as the jewel made it out to be, I would need to conserve all the magical energy I could.

Finally reaching the doors to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, I barely made it half a step inside looking for Natsu before said man barreled into me, a job flyer clutched tightly in his fist.

"I got it!" he cackled triumphantly, holding the job poster up for me to see.

 _Scavenger Work:_

 _Each answer will lead you to the next,_

 _There shall be five in all._

 _Each answer that you do discover,_

 _Will help you make the call._

 _#1_

 _What force and strength can not get through,_

 _I with a gentle touch can do._

 _And many wish they had my tumble,_

 _Just to see inside Mount Rumble._

 _ **REWARD:**_

 _ **20,000,000 J**_

 _ **2 Rare Gate Keys**_

I gaped openly at the flyer. A riddle scavenger hunt? If this mission was so valuable, why waste a wizard's time forcing them to hunt down the actual job?

"Um, Natsu..."

"Come on!" Natsu exclaimed brightly, grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me back in the direction of my apartment. "You need to get packed while I go home and pack. Mira said the train for Starview leaves in an hour!"

Scowling heavily at the back of Natsu's salmon-colored head, I whined in exasperation. "Why did you have to wake me up and drag me to the Guild if you already knew which job you wanted? And I didn't even get to tell Mira that I was going – "

"She knows," Natsu said, almost too chipper, as he continued to lead the way. He turned his head sideways to give me a toothy grin. "And I just felt like it. You're adorable when you're angry."

"NATSU!"

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, I found myself at the train station with my bag slung over my shoulder, yawning tiredly as I looked around for any sign of the rest of the group. I was so tired that I could have just curled up on a bench and slept, but I knew I had responsibilities. As soon as we boarded the train, Natsu's motion sickness would incapacitate him, which would leave me taking care of him the whole time.

"Lucy!" I heard my name being yelled across the station. Turning and looking around quickly, Natsu's pink hair made him easy to spot. He had his usual over-sized pack slung over his shoulder, but I didn't see Happy or Lisanna anywhere around. Or Erza. Or Gray.

"Natsu!" I called, relieved that we could finally board. As he came within a couple of feet, he gave me his trademark mischievous smirk. "Where's Happy? Getting tickets?"

"Nah, I already got those," he said with a distinct air of satisfaction about him as he fanned his face with two tickets.

"W-wait," I stumbled over me words, counting the tickets in his hands. "Natsu, what about Happy and Lisanna and the others? Where are they?"

Natsu's face fell slightly with worry, but only barely. Coughing briefly before scratching the back of his head nervously, he said, "Yeah. Um. There's something I forgot to tell you about this job."

I could feel my temper rise in immediate skepticism. Narrowing my eyes at the Fire Dragon Slayer, I said lowly through clenched teeth, "What did you 'forget' to tell me, Dragneel?"

Giving me his terrified grin, he said in a tone so fast that I almost didn't catch what he said. "This-is-a-two-wizard-quest-and-it's-a-half-year-job."

As I processed his words, I felt the blood drain from my whole body as I glared confused daggers at the man I suddenly wanted to violently strangle in his sleep. "It... It _what_? Two – only two – wizards only? A HALF A FUCKING YEAR?!" I was causing a scene around us but there was no way to keep me from completely losing my shit. How in the Hell was I going to pay my rent if I was _gone for six months_? We wouldn't even be paid until the job was completed! And why the fuck would he ever think I could tolerate spending six months alone with him?! I'd be institutionalized once we got back. "Have you lost your mind, Natsu? I can't just _leave_ on a six month job! And what about Happy? He's considered a wizard, too."

Off in the distance, I heard the warning whistle for the train, which only irritated me further. Apparently, however, Natsu had come prepared for this confrontation. "Happy is... He's more concerned about Carla right now."

"Okay, and what about Lisanna?" I prodded further.

I saw him tense but he said, "You know she's not much for jobs. And Elfman and Mira just got her back a year ago. Couldn't just take her away for six more months." He paused for a moment before switching gears. "If you're worried about your apartment, I got it covered. Juvia said she was looking for a private place away from Fairy Hills so she could work on herself or some weird chick thing like that. She was more than happy to basically sublease in exchange for privacy."

Growling, mostly to myself, I said, "That Water Mage better not flood the place. Oh man, the landlady would be so pissed."

Natsu only continued. "And I don't know why it said only two Mages, but since Gate Keys were included in the reward, I thought you'd be the best partner."

"But, Natsu..." I said, feeling myself pale even more. "Our Guild – our nakama – We won't see any of them for months!"

Natsu's happy disposition faded slightly. "Yeah. I thought about that, too. But... It's the first S-Class job the Master has ever willingly let me have without requiring an S-Class escort. If we come back successful, Makarov said he would promote us both to S-Class wizards."

"What?" I gasped, covering my hand with my mouth briefly. "But... But I've only be a wizard for a few years and been with FairyTail even less. Why on Earthland would Master Makarov promote _me_? I mean, _you_ deserve it at this point, but – "

"Lucy," Natsu said, grabbing me by the shoulders gently and smiling wider. "I don't know if you've figured this out yet, but Celestial Wizards are almost as rare as Dragon Slayers. The magical community sees Celestials as very powerful because they can summon Spirits from other worlds with ease, while there are some who dedicated their entire lives trying to do the same with with only _one_ Spirit."

The train gave another warning sound, but I wasn't ready for our conversation to be over. "Ugh, we have to go and you're useless to talk to on a train. Come on. Let's just go and you can explain more in Starview." I was beyond irritated, but we had a train to catch.

* * *

"I'm really sorry, Virgo, but we have to get to our hotel room and he's way to heavy for me."

I couldn't have been more apologetic to my Maiden Spirit standing before me on the train. I never wanted to treat my Spirits like pack-mules, but there were only two more minutes left to get off the train and Natsu was out cold.

"Of course, Princess. Would you like for me to punish him as well?" she replied obediently, her sadomasochistic side coming out like it always did.

I felt my face flush slightly red as I waved her off. "Oh, no, no. That's not necessary. Just carry him until we get to our room at the Starview Hotel, please."

"Very well, Princess," Virgo said with a polite smile. Grabbing Natsu and his pack and picking them both up with ease, she looked expectantly at me, ready for me to take the lead in our trek.

The Starview Hotel was only a few blocks from the train station, but I had been awake since dawn thanks to Natsu so I was exhausted as it neared one in the morning. As I slid my feet along the ground in a tired fashion, it didn't help my mood any that Natsu was starting to show signs of life, but was still sick enough to make those horrible noises.

Once we were in the rather fancy looking hotel, I checked us in quietly using the Master's credit sphere and got us to our room as quickly as possible. I stopped on our way to the room to get a bucket of ice, just to prepare for when I dispersed Virgo.

"Alright Virgo, if you'll please place him on the bed – _gently_! – you may go. I'm sure you have other things to do," I said embarrassedly, covering my face with a hand.

"I will always be here when you need me, Princess. You are no burden." Virgo was just as prompt and polite as ever. Actually setting Natsu down instead of dumping him, she bowed to me slightly before fading away into the golden mist of the Celestial World.

"Okay," I huffed to myself, looking around at our bags. "Guess it's my turn to put our stuff away... as always." Looking around, I noted the bucket of ice I had grabbed still sitting on the nightstand next to Natsu.

' _Hmm_..." I thought evilly to myself. ' _I'm sure a nice, cold dousing should bring a Fire Dragon Slayer roaring back to life_.' Yes, it was childish and petty, but Natsu spent so much time making my life Hell just to amuse himself, so why shouldn't I return the favor?

Smirking and thanking God for not letting anyone be there to stop me, I grabbed the bucket of ice and wasted no time. Going to the bathroom sink, I filled the ice bucket up with just enough water to clear the ice. Shaking it carefully to make the water colder faster, I knew it was game on.

' _Time for Crack of Dawn payback!_ '

Standing a safe distance away from the bed, I smiled right before letting the ice-water fly. It was right on target, expanding its reach to where it splashed him from his knees to his head. I didn't even have the luxury of a split second to enjoy my work before Natsu was on his feet, mad as a... well, a wet cat. It was almost as funny as when Happy had to get a bath.

"What the ever living Hell, Lucy?!" Natsu snarled out, letting shallow flames engulf him to dry up the rest of the water. "Are you trying to fucking kill me? Or get me to kill you? Cause that's how you get Dragon Slayers to kill you!"

Natsu was well into his rant, but I could do nothing but smirk as I crossed my arms under my breasts. Completely ignoring Natsu's tirade, I interrupted coolly, "Oh, Natsu! You're finally up. That's really great because I could _really_ use some help unpacking."

"Have you lost your damn mind, woman?!" he shouted, looking like he was about to rip his own hair out. "What if I'd gone into shock? You would have felt so baaaad – "

"Natsu," I said seriously, placing a hand on his shoulder. Looking him in the eye with a barely concealed smirk, I continued, "You are perfectly okay, Princess, and I not dumb enough to _not_ know that it wouldn't hurt you. Your subconscious heats you up accordingly on instinct. Most of the water evaporated on contact."

"I fuckin' knew it!" he ranted, grabbing his bag and pulling it to himself. "Women are psychotic. Why do I even bother – ?"

"Bother with what?" I asked curiously, sitting gently on my designated bed furthest away from the door. Natsu always had a weird protective thing going on when it came to sleeping arrangements. He always needed to be closest to the door, and he never once budged on that decision.

Natsu's face immediately morphed into a hot crimson color, and all of a sudden he was much too interested in the contents of his bag.

"Ugh, stupid boys," I growled aloud. Rolling my eyes in defeat, I got up and sat next to Natsu, who was pulling the job flyer from his pack. "Anyways, you think we should start working on the riddle tonight or get some sleep and start early tomorrow?"

I hadn't realized it, but apparently halfway through the question, I yawned. Natsu was looking at me with an amused grin.

"Well," he sad, giving me a smirk. "You look like a herd of Wyverns trampled you, so I'd say you need to get some beauty rest."

"ARE YOU CALLING ME UGLY, DRAGON BREATH?"

* * *

 ** _Short first chapter. Basically testing the waters here. I have much, much more written but I really need feedback to keep going. From here on, chapters will be a minimum of 4,000 words._**

 ** _Thanks for reading. ;) ~ oVicariousLadyo_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**My apologies if there are mistakes. I have, like, five chapters all hand-written so I used speech-to-text to make updating quicker. I of course go through and edit roughly, but sometimes my eyes just don't quite catch them all. Anyways, Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Shambles**

Dawn came much more quickly than I needed it to, shining through the ornate curtains of our hotel room with more vibrancy than I thought was even possible. Groaning very loudly and irritably, I rolled over in my bed to shield myself from the offending light.

"Lucy?"

Natsu's voice was groggy, but hesitant. Though I couldn't see his face, I could tell he wasn't wearing his usual, joyful "we're going on an adventure!" look.

"Yes, Natsu?" I answered softly, my eyes only halfway open.

There was a long pause filled with silence. Natsu was obviously thinking about what he needed to say. After a few moments of his quiet thinking, I finally heard him ask hesitantly, "You do... Did I screw up? Should we have left on such a huge job by ourselves? Do... Do you hate me? For tricking you?"

' _Oh, Natsu_.'

I felt my heart break slightly for the pink-haired wizard. He was never one to second-guess himself, so it must have really been bothering him.

Trying to keep my voice light, I said, "Of course I don't hate you, dummy. You drive me insane to the ends of Earthland and back, but I could never hate you. You're Natsu Dragneel. You make it impossible for anyone to hate you once they get to know you." Yawning widely and rubbing my eyes, I sat up in my bed. I looked over to see Natsu sitting up as well, giving me an intense look. "And as for the mission... Well, a bit more warning would have been nice. I can't really say anything though. If this is what it takes for you to become an S-Class Wizard, then I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad idea. If Master Makarov allowed you to do this job with only _me_ , then he has the utmost faith in you, and that's more than all I need to know to want to help."

"So... You're not mad at me?" he asked, running a hand through his already wild hair.

"I got my payback last night. I'm good now," I said with a proud smile. However, no matter how powerful Celestial Wizards were, they were basically useless in physical combat. So I never stood a chance of dodging the incoming pillow that Natsu had thrown at me, which slammed me square in the face.

"Oof!" I ground out, falling backwards off of my bed. Narrowly avoiding hitting my head on the nightstand, I let out an angry puff of air as I pulled myself to my feet. Natsu was still sitting cross-legged on his bed, laughing hysterically. Taking my opportunity, I vaulted across my bed, landing one foot on the ground easily before using it to propel myself forward, crashing into Natsu full-speed.

Once I felt our bodies collide, I threw my arms around his waist and held on tight. I was preparing to take Natsu down off the bed, even if I went down with him.

"Lucy – !" Natsu barked out. Luck seemed to be in my favor, because he wasn't quite awake and alert enough to maintain his balance, promptly letting me throw him off the edge. We both landed with a harsh thud, but Natsu cushioned most of my fall. With me still laying atop him cross-ways, he looked at me fiercely and barked out, "Do you have a death wish!?"

I was smiling and laughing as I looked at Natsu beneath me, his clothes and hair intensely disheveled. "Nope. You'd never lay a finger on me and you know it."

Natsu almost didn't respond to that, and I was pretty sure it was because he knew it was true. Putting on his nonchalant smirk he said coolly, "I think you put too much trust in our friendship."

"Never." I grinned, sitting up from the awkward position we were in before I started blushing. I didn't want Natsu to even have a hint of the crush I had on him. I had basically been in love with him since only a few months after we met, and I thought we had a chance to actually get together at some point.

And then Lisanna came back from staying with her aunt.

I mean, I knew I couldn't blame Natsu for the way he felt about her. She had been in his life _long_ before I ever came along, and they had formed an incredibly profound bond when they were younger. She was beautiful, a Strauss, and very skilled with her magic. I didn't stand a chance against her.

So all I could do was hope Natsu never discovered my true feelings and that he and I remained best friends and partners. Yeah, it did hurt to have to stand on the sidelines and watch your love be in love with another, but I took what I could just so I could be part of that wonderful Dragon Slayer's life. God, I was pathetic.

"Hey, Luce?"

Natsu's voice broke me away from my train of thought. "Huh? Yeah?" I asked, focusing on him sitting next to me, both of us propped with our backs against the bed as we remained sitting on the floor.

"Are you sure this is okay?" he asked, looking almost blankly out the window. I knew he was referring to our current job and it just being the two of us. To be honest, I didn't think so. Maybe if he had brought Erza or Gray, it would be a cakewalk but me... I was nowhere near on par with the others.

"I think so, Natsu." I smiled, looking out the window as well. "Although... I still don't understand why Master would promote _me_ for this. I'm the most useless Mage out of the whole guild."

I heard Natsu huff out a laugh. "You're far from useless, Lucy. You've shown more balls since you started the Guild than half our Guild-mates combined. You may not think you're powerful, but you've summoned all of your Spirits at once, which has never been done in the history of Celestial Mages. And to top _that_ off, you _forced_ an audience with the Spirit King and convinced him to change his mind. I don't think there's literally a soul that's ever existed that has ever managed that."

Smiling sadly, I looked at Natsu, who was still gazing out of the window. "Just because I care more for my Spirits than other Celestial Mages doesn't make me a good wizard, though. Why on Earthland make _me_ S-Class?"

Natsu frowned, seeming to to ponder on my question for a few moments. "I think... I think Master Makarov is testing you."

Eyes widening slightly, I asked, "Testing me like how? And for what?"

Natsu bit his lip nervously, which zeroed in my focus.

' _Not now, Lucy._ '

"Maybe..." he said, starting off slow. "Well, now that I think about it... I think... I think I remember him talking to Mira about making some of the Guild members into Mentors." At my questioning look, Natsu elaborated. "New recruits from all over Fiore have been flocking to Fairy Tail, wanting to join. The Master thinks having a – um, what do you call them? – representatives? Yeah. He thinks basically having a representative for each type of magic could help us organize jobs better. Maybe he wants you to make S-Class so he'll have a Celestial Mage on hand for that."

"What, like a teacher? What makes that old geezer think I'm any good with students?" Propping my face on my knees, I let out a string of unintelligible groans.

"Well, I..." Natsu said hesitantly, but his words were only followed by silence. When I realized he wasn't going to continue, I lifted my head to look at him.

I could only interpret his expression as odd. "N-Natsu?"

Next thing I knew, Natsu was suddenly surrounding me in an almost aggressive hug. With his large, warm embrace drawing me closer to him, I could help but inhale his natural scent, which was always like cinnamon and campfire. "Lucy," I heard him say, still holding me to him. "You need to stop doubting yourself so much and give yourself some credit. Not only do you have powerful Celestial magic, but you're contracted with several very powerful Spirits who love you and would die for you. The only way a Celestial Mage could be any closer to their Spirits is if they... Well, took their friendship _past_ friendship."

I knew what he was implying, and my experience in that area was so minuscule that I could do nothing but pull away, blushing, and ask, " So... There are wizards that... have _sex_ with their spirits?"

"From what I've heard, yeah," Natsu said in a slightly nervous tone, rubbing the back of his head. "Like I said, there aren't many Celestial Wizards in existence, but out of those few, there have been some who either fell in love with one of their Spirits or were corrupted and began... _abusing_ their Spirits. Why? Thinking about a certain Lion?"

Natsu's tone was completely unreadable, but I boiled over anyway. "What?! Are you crazy? Loke is a good friend and a trusted Spirit! And... And even if it _were_ like that – with _any_ of my Spirits _–_ it would be nothing but torture! I'm gonna get old and die but Spirits live on _forever_. I couldn't doom someone so close to me to an eternity of pain like that. I mean, let's face it. I'm as clumsy as they come so I'm bound to kick the bucket at a very young age."

"Don't say that!" Natsu snapped. I looked at him, but his hair shaded his eyes, making his expression unreadable. The air was very tense, and I could sense anger radiating from him. It was so strong that I could even feel heat roll off of him.

Wait.

"Kyaaaa!" I squealed out in pain. It felt like my entire right side was on fire. Jerking away and landing harshly on the floor, I looked up to see Natsu and his bed both engulfed in flames. The right side of my body was burned pretty badly, enough that that side of my tube top was destroyed, hanging on by only the tiny thin strip of cloth that had been saved by my underarm. "Natsu!"

All it took was the small jolt of my voice to snap Natsu out of whatever deep-thinking he had gone into. He immediately noticed that he was surrounded in flames (and his bed as well), so he looked around to see me lying on my side, trying to get his attention.

"Lucy!" That was all he needed to say before all the flames in the room dispersed, leaving behind only my injuries and a very incinerated bed. When all the fire was gone, Natsu was immediately by my side, checking my injuries. He examined my arm quickly before noticing where my shirt was burned away, the skin beneath it an angry red.

"Oh fuck," he started panicking, looking more and more freaked out the longer he stared at my injuries. "Oh fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fuck, Lucy, I'm so sorry! I'm so fucking sorry! S-Stay here! I'm going to go get you some medicine!"

"Natsu – "

But he was already out the door.

' _What the Hell just happened?_ ' Natsu never lost control of his magic like that unless he was in battle. What in the world could have made him lose it like that just then?

Oh, God. And he was going to completely blame himself, too. How was I supposed to deal with it? What were we going to do?

I stayed in my spot on the cold tile for what seemed like an eternity, trying to focus on anything but the scorching pain that engulfed my right side. I wasn't worried about the burns. If a person had enough Jewel, the drug stores all carried a special burn salve that healed burns within hours. I was more worried about Natsu.

"Lucy!" Natsu's voice suddenly resounded through the room, bringing me out of my worried thoughts. Looking around the room, I saw Natsu climbing through the window, which was several stories up. He was clutching a brown paper bag and his face was one of complete and utter devastation. Without saying another word, he rushed to me and picked me up gently, minding the burns. Going around the demolished bed, Natsu put me down softly on my bed sitting up, treating me as if I was going to break. I was hurting pretty bad but it still seemed like a little overkill. I'd been hurt a few times by his fire before, just never to that extent.

"Natsu, I can do this myself. Just give me the stuff – "

"No. No way in Hell. This is _my_ fault." He wouldn't look me in the eyes as he shredded open the bag containing the jar of cream, crouching in front of me. Even more defeatedly, he said, "It's all... my... fault. I can't believe I... Jesus, Lucy."

He was at such a loss for words that it made my heart clench. It wasn't easy seeing him seem so helpless.

Ignoring my pain, I leaned forward and pulled Natsu into a tight embrace. He seemed to tense even more than he already was and tried to shy away. I didn't let go. "Natsu..." I said softly, burying my left hand into his hair. "It's okay. _I'm_ okay. I know you think it's your fault but it's not. Not really. You only get like that when you're really upset. Now," I said, pulling back to face him while suppressing a wince. Making him look me in the eye, I asked softly, " Why were you so upset?"

"It _is_ my fault, Lucy! You're hurt because of _my_ fire – "

"I'm not worried about that!" I raised my voice, closing my eyes against the tears forming. "I'll heal! What I'm worried about is _you_! You have to tell me why it happened or it might happen again and we won't be able to stop it so please just tell me! You're my best friend and it hurts to seeing you hurting."

I could see Natsu's eyes almost shimmering with emotion, but I knew he wouldn't actually start crying on me. I was burned pretty bad but by no means was going to die.

"Lucy..." he finally said sadly, opening the jar of cream still in his hands. Scooping some out, he touched it lightly to the worst of my burns first, on my forearm. I almost hissed at the sensation, but kept silent as Natsu continued. "There was another reason I wanted to drag the two of us away from Magnolia... Actually, it was going to be just me, but the Master said I couldn't. But I needed to get away, though, so I brought you with me."

"Natsu..." I said sadly, trying not to squirm too much at his gentle touch. Though my skin still felt like it was on fire, his easy ministrations with the burn cream felt incredible. He knew just the right amount of pressure he needed to use, and the smooth, circular motions he used were extremely soothing. "Why would you just take off on a half-year job by yourself? Why would you leave us behind and worry us like that?"

I could see a wetness forming in the corner of his eyes as he focused on coating my burns with the peppermint-smelling cream. "I needed some time away. I... Lisanna... I had to end it with her."

"What?" I gasped, bringing my uninjured hand to my mouth in shock. "Oh Natsu, I'm so sorry! What happened?"

Natsu paused his movements, which I sorely missed immediately.

"I... I really don't think I wanna talk about it. But... I owe you. I _at_ _least_ owe you an explanation after... this." He indicated to my burns, which were almost completely covered by the cream now. Easing my arm to the side so Natsu could get underneath where my shirt had burned away, I felt my cheeks burns at his gentle hands applying the salve there. I tried to ignore his fingers and listen.

Eyes not meeting mine, he began. "Lisanna... We were supposed to meet up to go do something. It got later in the afternoon, so I went looking for her. It's not like – it wasn't like her to be late. So I followed her scent from the Guild Hall and wound up at our nest-hut. Except... It wasn't just her scent out there. I could smell Bickslow, too, and the smell of... Anyway, I... I hoped I was wrong, but... I looked. I saw them. I was only a hair's-width away from completely destroying that creep, but I couldn't. It wasn't just him. Lisanna... She... She admitted that it had been going on for months. I don't think I've ever felt something so soul-crushing before. I was having a complete meltdown, but my outside felt numb. I guess I was in shock, because all I did was say it was over before walking away. That night is when I decided to leave for a while."

I sat, frozen in place. Lisanna – cute, meek, Fairy Tail Princess – had been cheating on Natsu? How could she be so cold-hearted? And to do it with that slimy Thunder Legion freak? It was so hard to believe.

But Natsu's expression told me it was the truth.

I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my cheeks as he spoke. I noticed he was closing up the jar of cream, so I knew he was finished covering my wounds. Looking him in the face again, I almost gasped aloud. Actual tears were streaming down his face now, and it was a crushing sight.

His voice was starting to come out broken. "Lis... How could she do this? How could she... Why Bickslow? Why at all? I thought we were happy. I thought... She said she was saving herself... Saving herself for _me_. We... I was going to ask her to _marry_ me that day. I had the ring and... Why did she do this, Lucy?" His tone growing louder, he ground through the tears, "What did I do to deserve this?!"

Letting out a small sob, I leaned forward and pulled Natsu to me, mindful of the burn cream, and rested his head in the crook of my neck as I held him tightly. He was trembling, and it was obvious he was still crying, but I didn't. I was positively fuming with Lisanna, and Bickslow, by proxy. But at that moment, Natsu needed me. He needed his friend. And if being away from Magnolia is what he needed, I would stick by him no matter what.

We stayed in that position for hours.

* * *

It was nearly lunch time when I finally seemed to snap myself out of my rage-induced fantasies. Lisanna had torn my friend's heart to shreds in one of the most disgraceful ways possible. I swore to myself that when we got back to Fairy Tail, I was going to completely lay into both of those dishonorable cretins. Knowing Natsu, he was just going to let it go, because it had become blatantly obvious that there were some things not worth fighting. However, it wouldn't stop him from basically shutting the two out of his life. Things at the Guild were going to be extremely awkward when we got back, to say the least.

"Natsu..." I said softly, gently shaking the Slayer. His tears and trembling had stopped only a little while before, so I felt it was safe to try and do something else. My back and neck were killing me from staying in the same sitting up position for hours, but I didn't dare move the entire time. My best friend was hurting, and I was doing all that I knew that I could do.

I felt Natsu's breath hitch, and a slight groan escaped his lips.

'DID HE FALL ASLEEP ON ME?!'

"L...Lucy?" Natsu said, pulling himself back to look at me. His eyes were only slightly red and puffy, but he look so tired and worn down. His eyes widening, he said frantically, "Shit, Lucy! I – I'm so fucking sorry about all of this! I didn't mean to drag you in – "

Sternly placing a finger to his lips, I said, "Shh, Natsu, it's okay. Accidents happen. And I can feel that salve working. Only a few more hours and I'll be good as new."

Natsu grabbed my hand as began to pull it away, staring at me deeply. "Will you?"

He said it as almost a challenge, but I refused to let him think otherwise. "Yes. No doubt about it." Flashing him one of my award-winning smiles, I twisted my legs around and stood up from the bed, stretching my sore stiff muscles. Looking down at Natsu's blackened lump that was supposed to be his bed, I bit my lip in frustration.

'Day one of a six-month mission and we've already managed to destroy something on accident.'

"Hey, um, Natsu?" I asked cautiously.

Natsu seemed to snap out of some sort of thought-process and looked up at me. "Yeah?"

"It's getting close to lunchtime. Why don't you go find us some food while I summon a Spirit to clean up this mess? Then we can start working on that riddle." I was hoping that getting us back on track would help distract him, at least a little bit.

"Oh, um, sure," he said in a surprised tone, raising an eyebrow. "But I'm the one who kinda destroyed it so shouldn't I take care of it?"

Looking up at Natsu as he stood next to me, I smiled brightly. "Yeah, well, I don't want to go out in public with this cream all over me and I'm starving but that charred smell is so gross so _you_ can be the one to go out in public and get food while _I_ do this. Two birds, one stone."

Natsu looked a little uncomfortable at the idea, but he only shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. I guess I'll be right back. And only let your Spirit do any work. You don't need to move too much until the burns heal."

With that, Natsu was out the door, in search of our lunch.

' _Well, time to get down to business._ ' I thought.' _But who should I use? Taurus might wreck the place up more. I've already used Virgo once on our journey, and the other Spirits don't like being neglected. Loke could easily dispose of it, but there's no way I wanted him to know what had happened, and he would no doubt ask. And Aries would just tell him_.'

It took me a few moments of deliberating, but I finally came to a decision. Grabbing my ring of keys, I pulled one and swished it in front of me. "Open, Gate of the Twins! Gemini!"

Bright golden light filtered through the room as I heard the Celestial Gate click open. Once the light faded away I looked up to see... Oh, God. Loke.

"Hey!" I screeched, immediately turning to my side so he couldn't get a good view of my burns. Grabbing his key, I swished it to disperse him but he only stayed there with a smirk on his face.

"I think," he started, putting a foot forward to begin slowly pacing. "You forgot that it's the Twins' day off. I can help you with whatever you need, though, Princess."

"Ugh!" I growled out. I _had_ forgotten. "Fine, yeah, I forgot! But I still didn't summon _you_ , you dumb lion!"

"Come now, Lucy," Loke said smoothly, stepping towards me. "I wanted to pay you a visit, anyway. I haven't seen you since your solo quest after the Wyvern. So what can I – "

His voice tapered off as he finally took notice of the charred remains of Natsu's bed. "Um... Am I right in guessing this is Natsu's doing?"

I felt my cheeks pinken a bit. "Y-yeah. It was an accident. He went to get some food so I told him I would take care of this – "

Just then, several things, too _many_ things, happened at once.

"Lucy!" Loke shouted, grabbing me and turning me so he could see my injured side. "You didn't say you got hurt – !"

The door swinging open stopped Loke mid-sentence. Natsu stood there holding armloads of food, even using his teeth to hold one of the bags. With muffled speech, he proclaimed proudly, "Got da food - "

Loke didn't even give Natsu a chance to finish before he grabbed the Dragon Slayer by his throat and slammed him against the wall, causing all of the food bags to fall to the floor. "What did you do to Lucy? Why did you hurt her?!" Loke looked every bit as fierce as the Zodiac Lion he represented.

"Loke, no! It wasn't his fault!" I yelled out, running forward to futilely drag Loke's grip from Natsu's throat.

"Like hell it isn't," he growled, tightening his grip. Boring his eyes into Natsu's, he said, "So what did you do? Try to take Lucy to bed and couldn't handle it? How dare you!"

Using his grip on Natsu's neck, the Celestial Spirit threw the Slayer to the floor forcefully. I was sure the confusion on Natsu's face very closely matched my own. Looking at the burns on my arm and back to the bed, something in my mind finally clicked.

Throwing myself on top of Natsu, Loke stopped in his tracks before he could attack again. "No, no! You've got it completely wrong! Natsu and I didn't... We never... Just... It's not what you think! I was sitting next to the bed when Natsu accidentally set it on fire! He didn't realize it, nor did I! I'm okay, though, really! The burn cream has my skin almost completely healed already. Please, Loke. Act rational!"

I could see the deliberation behind Loke's eyes, and he almost looked to be in pain.

"Lucy..." I heard Natsu say from beneath me. Looking down I saw a deep sadness shadowing his face. "I'm the one who got you hurt. I deserve this."

Baring my teeth and narrowing my eyes, I snarled, "You stay out of this! We've already had this conversation! You don't punish people for legitimate accidents!" Throwing my glare up at Loke, I said in just as much of a scary tone, "And you! I've explained what happened! You know when I'm lying, so leave Natsu alone! He's beating himself up enough about it as it is! We are on a half-year mission and this was not how I wanted to start it!"

I could feel myself seething after my little rant. Why the hell were all the boys the ones causing all the drama?

"Lucy," Loke said, drawing my attention back to him. His look of anger had faded, replaced with one of concern. "You two are on a half year job? Those are S-Class jobs!"

"Yeah, I know, thanks," I said sharply, my attitude still intact. "Look, I know you probably want to tell me how dangerous they are and blah blah blah but I need some time alone with Natsu right now, so could you please just get rid of the bed and we'll talk later?"

I saw a muscle in Loke's jaw twitch, meaning he wanted to say something, but instead he only bowed to me. "Very well, Princess. I trust your judgment regarding the hot-head. But we _will_ talk about this later."

With that, Loke and the remains of the bed disappeared in a shimmer of gold. Standing up from on top of Natsu, I muttered an embarrassed apology before going to gather all of the food bags from the floor. We got lucky, seeing as only one egg roll was a casualty.

* * *

"So..." Natsu said with a half-full mouth, food making his disposition brighten considerably. "Why did you tell Loke we slept together and that's how you got burned?"

"Ugh," I groaned out, putting down my chopsticks with a slight bang. "I didn't tell him _anything_. He saw my injuries, saw the bed, then jumped to conclusions. Stupid Celestial Lion, ought to skin him alive..." I let my mumbling taper off.

Natsu sat back, sighing as he rubbed his full belly. "Why did you summon him in the first place? Everyone knows he's insanely protective of you. You should have guessed how he would react."

Clenching my teeth, I said, "I _didn't_ summon him. I tried to summon Gemini but it's their day off so Loke came through on his own magic."

I heard Natsu mumble something about a nosy prick, and I couldn't help but giggle aloud at that.

"Yeah, he's nosy, but I don't mind... Sometimes. He was my friend before he was one of my Spirits," I said, leaning back while I nibbled on a carrot.

Silence seemed to permeate the room almost instantly. Looking up expecting to see Natsu asleep in a food coma, I was slightly taken aback to see that he was actually staring at me.

"What?" I asked nervously, putting my carrot back down on my plate.

"Take your shirt off."

A full five seconds passed as I looked dumbly at Natsu. My face finally twisted into anger, screaming out, "You PERVERT!"

I hadn't meant to but out of reflex, my hand swung out, making a harsh, flat-palmed slap across his face.

"Ow!" he cried out, backing away while rubbing the slap mark. "Oi! I didn't say that to be a sleaze! You just need to put on something not so... Burnt."

Gasping lightly, I looked down at my favorite purple top. You could clearly see the burns, but what was most disturbing was the fact that I was one wrong stretch away from becoming completely topless. Squeaking like a scared mouse, I brought my arms across my chest to make sure the top didn't completely come off. "I forgot! Oh my God!"

"Now who's the pervert?" he asked with a sneer. Shooting Natsu the foulest glare I could muster, I stood and grabbed my suitcase.

"Shut up, you annoying little cockroach! Now I'm about to go shower so when I get back, be prepared to start working on that riddle! We've already wasted half a day that could have been used for work."

Grabbing a change of clothes from my case, I stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. Not wasting any time, I turned on the shower to the most comfortable temperature I could stand before stripping down and stepping in. I could feel the burn cream slipping off of my skin immediately, revealing what used to be severe burns, but had turned into a light pink color. It wasn't one hundred percent healed, but it was enough that it didn't hurt unless I applied a bit of forceful pressure.

Ignoring my fading burns, I took the bottle of hotel shampoo and emptied it into my hair, praying that it was enough to get rid of the soot smell. I scrubbed my blonde locks vigorously until I was satisfied, then began to soap up my body. I let my mind begin to wander as I enjoyed the soothing feeling.

I was beyond upset about what Lisanna and Bickslow had done to Natsu. He was in so much pain. How could she just toss aside someone as great as the Dragon Slayer? He was so intense and passionate. He loved the people around him without a second thought. He would die before letting anything happen to his friends. He was so kind, and loyal, and funny.

And then there was the man himself. Perfectly sculpted abs that seemed to be made of the smoothest of marble. The way sweat would sometimes roll down those works of art would make me swallow hard and avert my gaze. His arms bulged with just enough muscle to make my heart flutter every time I focused on them. The way his face would light up, matching his spiky pink hair was irresistible. He was the epitome of everything a man should be, and that thought alone had me hot and bothered.

Opening my eyes against the pounding of water, I finally came out of my thoughts to find myself... Oh my God! I was not just doing what I thought I was doing while thinking about Natsu!? Holy _Hell_ , what was wrong with me!? My best friend had just had his heart ripped to pieces and there I was in the shower in the next room from him, touching myself while _thinking_ about him! I was such an awful friend!

Face as red as a beet, I rinsed myself as fast as I could before stepping out of the shower and redressing. I was beyond furious at that point. Lisanna. Bickslow. Loke... Myself. We all deserved to get the Hell beaten out of us.

Finally clean and in fresh clothes, I splashed my face a few times with cold water, trying to make my embarrassed blush go away. I knew it wouldn't work though. I had... Experimented with myself before, but never while thinking about people I knew. Ugh, I could have just dropped dead right then.

Finally emerging from the bathroom, clad in a blue tank top and white shorts, I saw Natsu sitting cross-legged on my bed holding – my keys? "What are you doing?! Aquarius will drown me in my sleep if she found out a fire-breather was fondling her Key!" I freaked. Snatching my set of keys away from him, I hooked them onto my holster.

"Sorry!" Natsu laugh. Suddenly giving me a pondering look, he leaned forward and asked, "So why did Aquarius agree to share your mother's contract with you if she hates you so much?"

Sitting down on the bed next to Natsu and pulling the job flyer towards me, I said, "Well, um... She didn't _always_ hate me. She was actually my first Spirit. But I summoned her at a really bad moment one time and she... She'll never forgive me. _I'll_ never forgive me. I _never_ wanted to see one of my Spirits completely naked."

Natsu couldn't contain his laughter as he rolled around on the bed. "Oh. Oh man... That's fantastic! So... So she didn't make you break the contract?"

"No," I said with a sheepish smile. "Celestial Spirit Rules forbid breaking contracts for something so petty. So she agreed not to kill me in exchange for only summoning her twice every three months, max. It doesn't stop her from being hostile when I do summon her, though. Now that I have Scorpio's key, however, she wouldn't want to break her contract."

"Wow," Natsu said, looking at the keys on my hip. "Like I said, Luce. Your kind is rare. To have such dedicated Spirits is even more rare."

"Yeah, maybe," I said nonchalantly. Pulling the flyer up to my face, I said, "Okay, now this riddle."

Natsu suddenly gave me a sly smile. "Yeah. It's the key to Mount Rumble. We have to find it."

"Wh-What?" I asked in exasperation. "You've already figured out the riddle? When? How?"

Canines poking out through his smile brightly, Natsu responded, "Well, I knew from the get-go that we obviously needed to access Mount Rumble, which is on the outskirts of Starview. Why do you think we came straight here? And I know it's gotta be a key because the only way to enter the mountain is through a single door that hasn't opened in a really long time. So I put two and two together and – tada – we need to somehow find the key to Mount Rumble. I'm sure that's where we'll find the next riddle."

I only sat there in shock. After all those times I told him we needed to work on the riddle and he had already figured it out! ' _Ugh, add_ _ **smart**_ _to the list of Natsu's amazing qualities_.'

No, that was something I definitely didn't need to focus on. "You could have told me that you knew the answer, you jerk! What do we do now, then? Should we start asking around the town to see if any of the residents know anything?"

Leaning back slightly, Natsu agreed. "Yeah, I guess. Maybe someone will know where they keep the records of the mountain or something." He paused for a moment, but I continued to look out the window. There were tropically colored birds of all kinds flying past, making for a beautiful display. When Natsu spoke again, his voice light with somber. "But we should probably wait until tomorrow."

Looking over at Natsu next to me, I then saw what made him pause. The skin on my right arm was still very pink, but no worse than a sunburn. The Dragon Slayer was looking at it with remorse in his eyes.

"Natsu," I said softly, flashing him a smile. "I'm perfectly fine. You don't have to worry about me. I'm an extremely rare and powerful wizard, remember?" I tried to joke in a mocking tone, repeating his words back to him.

It took him a moment, but when Natsu finally gave me a sly smile, I felt the tension in my chest ease. "Fine. But we've already wasted most of this day, so it'll probably be better to get a fresh start early tomorrow."

Smiling at Natsu, I nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

 ** _Please R &R!_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Same instance applies. Was written using a speech-to-text program and heavily edited, but might still contain some errors. Once I finish uploading everything I have hand-written, my chapters won't be near as messy.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Hunt**

 _One of his hands was supporting the back of my head, using it to bring his soft kiss even closer while his other hand explored the length of my body. It was so hot, beads of sweat accumulated and rolled down my bare chest as he explored even more intimate areas. Slowly and gently, we touched each other tenderly, learning each and every inch of each others' bodies. The air was filled with gasps and moans and the heady scent that was just_ _ **him**_ _._

 _"Natsu..."_

Jerking myself upright, I panted hard, feeling real sweat beading up on my skin.

' _Holy... Holy_ _ **fuck**_ ,' I thought frantically. I could still feel the extreme discomfort between my legs, and my heart was pounding harshly in my chest. Looking around, I realized that my mortification had yet to end. Natsu had fallen asleep on the only remaining bed first, so I had made a pallet on the floor for me to sleep. And I _did_ go to sleep there. But then, as I had woken up from the most intense dream of my life, I found myself in the bed... With Natsu beside me, fast asleep.

' _How did I get in the bed with Natsu? I didn't... My libido did_ _ **not**_ _make me hop into bed with him in my sleep. Did it? Oh, God. I didn't touch him, did I? We didn't do anything... did we?_ '

As these thoughts ran frantically through my head, I felt Natsu shift, freezing me in place. With a muffled mumble, I heard him say, "Lucy..."

My heart almost stopped completely. Was he awake and addressing me? Or was he possibly having the same kind of dream I had?

' _Of course not, idiot_ ,' I scolded myself. The poor guy just had his heart ripped out. He wouldn't...

"Yes, Natsu?" I asked quietly, hesitantly .

I felt him shift again, and suddenly he was turned on his side, facing me. He was awake.

"Why are you awake? We got a lot to do tomorrow..." he said sleepily, yawns breaking up his words.

Thankfully it was dark so he couldn't see the heat rise to my face once more. "Um, I'm awake because I'm not where I fell asleep."

Rolling back over, Natsu gave me a sleepy sigh. "I wasn't gonna let you sleep on the floor. The bed is big enough."

Natsu's explanation tapered off as it was replaced with a soft snore.

' _So Natsu put me in bed with him? Strange, strange man..._ '

...

Starview was a much larger city than Magnolia, but it wasn't home to any kind of Guild. The residents weren't anti-magic, per-say, but they were paranoid of the power it brought. Natsu went off by himself to one side of the city, where I started on the other in search for information on the key. The city was safe enough, so splitting up was no big deal. We had been searching for a week solid.

We got an early start on the first day, which is when we both agreed to meet at the restaurant by the hotel every day at noon to take a break and share any possible information we might have found.

I still had about thirty minutes until I was to meet Natsu at the diner, and I was dragging my feet hard. I had probably spoken to over a hundred citizens that morning, and none of them knew anything about Mount Rumble. It was disheartening, to say the least.

I used my spare thirty minutes by taking my time walking to the restaurant. My feet were killing me, but I supposed it was my fault. I had tried to dress as cute as possible, which included heels, in hopes of some desperate old pervert having any information. So far, the heels had only gotten me a blister.

Once I made it to the restaurant, I sat down in and mine and Natsu's usual booth, blowing a stray piece of blonde hair away from my face. I was exhausted. Natsu and I had agreed that morning that if nothing turned up that day, we were going to have to visit the actual mountain on the outskirts of the city.

"The usual?"

The waiter almost had me jump from my seat, he scared me so much. I had been so focused on Natsu coming in, hopefully with good news, that I had forgotten about our waiter.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said frantically, smiling sheepishly at the attractive server. "Um, yeah. The usual. My friend will be here in a moment."

"Coming right up," he said with a wink, closing his pad and walking away.

I knew what the waiter was doing, but I didn't care. Ignoring it, I probably waited another five minutes before I heard the jingle of the diner door. Looking up, I smiled as I watched the pink-haired Dragon Slayer strolling towards our table.

"Any luck?" he asked, taking his usual seat across from me.

"Not one damn bit," I said regretfully, pulling my left shoe off to rub my blistered heel.

"Yeah, me neither," he said morosely. "It seems like most of the people in this town are too scared to even talk about the mountain. I tried getting council with the mayor, but he's been sick in the hospital."

"Well," I said tiredly, looking in the direction of our waiter, hoping food would come soon. "I guess we'll spend the rest of the day asking around some more. If there's no luck, I suppose we're going to the mountain in the morning."

Natsu nodded quietly, but only because his mouth began to instantly water as we caught sight of the server bringing our food. Once the table was settled and Natsu was digging in, the server hung around for a moment, looking at me.

It took me a second to realize it, but when I did, I looked up at him and gave him a puzzling look. "Um, yes?"

The server suddenly blushed, obviously not realizing he'd been staring. "Oh, I'm so sorry. My apologies. It's just... You and your comrade have been in here every day for the past week now and I thought you looked familiar. Now I think I've figured out who you are."

Eye twitching in slight irritation, I couldn't help but think, ' _If I hear the name 'Heartfilia', I'm going to punch this guy in the throat_.' "Okay..." I said calmly, setting my napkin over my lap. "And who do you think I am?" I smiled sweetly, but I hoped it came off as a bit psychotic.

His dark eyes shined. "Lucy of Fairy Tail, right? The only Celestial Mage in the Guild?"

I felt my jaw drop as the guy's eyes seem to bulge like hearts. My cheeks flamed up. "Oh! Oh yes! How did you know?" I asked, giving him a genuine smile this time.

Our server's eyes lit up. "I know we're not much of a magic town, but I've been reading Sorcerer Weekly for years! When I saw your article and picture I was absolutely blown away – !"

Natsu seemed to be growling at the poor guy when he barked out, "Okay, we get it! She's a beautiful semi-famous wizard. Can we get back to eating, please?"

Natsu's completely uncalled for outburst caught me and the server both off guard. Before I could say anything, the server bowed lowly. "My sincerest apologies, sir! I'll let you get back to your meal!" With that, our server seemed to scamper behind the counter and out of sight.

"Natsu!" I scolded, banging my fist on the table. "What is wrong with you? The poor guy was just a fan!"

Natsu was still glaring in the direction that the server had disappeared, chewing absently on the cinnamon stick from his tea. "The guy was wasting our time, Lucy," he growled. "We have work to do and I can't afford for my partner to get distracted by some pretty boy fan."

The server's gushing obviously grated on Natsu's nerves. At first my mind wondered if the Dragon Slayer could possibly be jealous, but I quickly brushed that thought off. It had only been a little over a week since he had his heart broken, and I was no Lisanna. I couldn't even begin to compare to her.

"Who says he planned on distracting me?" I asked with a challenge. "And what's it to you, anyway? I'm allowed to have admirers and maybe even date one if I want!" I was sure I look like an angry banshee at that moment. After a week of completely inappropriate dreams about Natsu and having no way of ridding myself of the frustration I was feeling, I was almost desperate enough to pick up a random guy. Almost. If I wasn't a virgin, I probably would have.

Natsu couldn't seem to come up with anything to say because all he did was let his fork clang loudly as it dropped to his dish. Standing up quickly, he muttered, "I'm finished. We'll keep searching the rest of the day and if there's still no luck we'll be leaving out early in the morning."

Before I could say anything, Natsu was out the door, trekking in the opposite direction of the restaurant.

Cheeks burning red with anger, I snarled to myself, "Ugh! Stupid men and their stupid fucking mood swings!" Throwing some Jewel onto the table, I rushed out the door as well, ready to get the rest of the day over with.

...

Six hours later found me piled under stacks of books in the town's library. I had my Gale-Force reading glasses going full speed, reading every piece of local news and history that the library had to offer.

After about two hours of avid reading, something finally caught my eye. A mangled gray book that sat atop one of the piles called out to me. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't help but follow my instinct. Careful not to topple of the towers of books around me, I reached up and gently grabbed the ragged book. Pulling it down to look at the cover, which bore symbols I couldn't read, I immediately felt a tingle of warmth shoot through me as the book briefly glowed a purple magic cast symbol on its cover before fading away completely.

Oh, yes. I found something, and it was definitely magical. Putting on my glasses once more, I began the quick process of taking in the entirety of the book. When I was finished a few minutes later, I knew I needed to get back to Natsu, and immediately. Looking around quickly to make sure the coast was clear, I stuffed the book into my bag hastily and all but ran from the library. I was never one to steal, but I didn't have time to set up an account with the library just to check out one book.

Slamming through the front doors of the library, I cursed to myself out loud. "Damn, it's already dark!" Since Natsu and I had stayed separated throughout the past few days, we both made a point to get back to the hotel by dark so as to not make each other worry.

Clutching my bag close to me, I took off at a sprint down the street, where people were slowly dwindling away to their homes for the night. Cutting to the right, I ran full-speed down the alley I had found that took me directly behind the hotel. As I rounded the corner to the home stretch, I was suddenly stopped in place by a pair of strong hands grabbing both my forearms from behind.

The sudden stop brought my feet from underneath me, dropping me until I was only supported by the hands that were gripping my arms.

"Let me go!" I screamed out without hesitation, kicking my legs behind me and trying to stomp my assailant's feet.

A man's deep voice that I didn't recognize chuckled from behind me. "Not a chance. You called us to you."

"What?" I asked wildly, still struggling against the man's hold. "I didn't call anybody, so get the fuck off me!"

Another man's voice resounded from further behind me. "Oh, you may not know it, but you called us."

The man's grip kept me from reaching my keys, and it only pissed me off more. "Look! If this is about the book, I'll pay for it, okay!? There's no reason to manhandle me!"

With that, I used my most daring defensive move, which would hurt me too but give me access to my keys. Bringing my head back as hard as I could, I felt it make contact with my captor's nose, making quite a sickening crunch. Holding the back of my head as tears of pain sprang to my eyes, I turned and tried to get a look at the men. It seemed like my luck had run short, however. The alley was much too dark, and they were both wearing hooded robes.

The man I had smashed in the nose recovered much faster than I had hoped, because he immediately grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me roughly, aiming me deeper into the alley. The pain of landing was excruciating as I fell into a pile of broken crates and pallets. There was a sharp stabbing pain in my leg, but I couldn't focus on that as the men both descended on me.

Thinking frantically, I felt around my hip for my keys and snatched one off. "Open! Gate of the Ram! Aries!"

The usual golden light filtered through the alley as the meek and timid Spirit stood there in her wool.

"Oh! Princess, you're hurt! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I wasn't here sooner!" Aries exclaimed, glancing at the two malicious looking men.

"It's not your fault, Aries!" I said through gritted teeth, still trying to catch my breath from my landing. "I just really need your help getting rid of these dirtbags! I have to get back to Natsu!"

Aries bowed lowly. "Of course! I'm sorry. Consider it done, Princess!"

It only took just a few moments for Aries to overpower the men, knocking them unconscious using her wool magic. Right as I was about to thank Aries for her help, another bright golden light filtered through the alley, revealing Loke standing next to Aries.

"Lucy, are you okay?!" He exclaimed, immediately rushing to me where I was still laid out on the pile of broken wood. Brushing chunks of splinters away, Loke scooped me into his arms. When I gave him a puzzled look, he explained, "I noticed you summoning Aries. I came to make sure everything was okay. What happened?"

Gritting my teeth, I said, "And once again, I didn't summon _you_. But yeah, I just needed a little help with these thugs." Ignoring that Loke was still holding me, I looked at Aries. "Thank you for your help. You can go back now if you want."

Bowing to me, she said, "I'm sorry. I'll do better next time. At your service anytime, Princess." And with that, she was gone.

"Ugh, I let one Spirit call me that and suddenly they all want to." Readying myself to chew Loke out, I opened my mouth, only to let out a pained groan. "Oww... What... What the hell?"

Twisting around and Loke's arms, I reached a hand down to my right leg where the pain was coming from. It was dark, so I couldn't see anything, but I could feel the warm wetness of blood on my fingertips as I drew them away. Apparently Loke had no problem seeing in the dark.

"Lucy, you're hurt!" he said, seriousness over taking his usual offhand attitude. "Come on. I'll take you back to your hotel room."

"Wait!" I said, stopping him by placing a hand on his chest. Indicating to the two unconscious men on the ground, I said, "We have to do something about them! They obviously know something or want something from me. I think it has to do with a book I just found. I need to know what they want but I also need to speak to Natsu!"

Loke set his usual smirk into a thin line, almost like a scowl as he looked at the men. "If that's true, then you're right. I'm going to set you down so I can contain them real quick. I'll come back for them once you're safe with Natsu."

After what I read in that strange book, I wasn't sure how safe I'd actually be, but I didn't have a choice. Natsu was my best friend. I had to be there for him.

It only took Loke a moment to completely subdue the two men before he had me back in his arms once more, moving swiftly to the hotel at only speeds a Celestial Spirit could reach. He seemed to know his way around, because he completely skipped the lobby and just scaled the building to mine and Natsu's room, using the window.

All Hell broke loose as soon as we got inside.

"Lucy, where the hell have you been!?" Natsu freaked. It appeared that he had been pacing the floor, and the room was a wreck. "It got dark hours ago and – "

Natsu cut himself off as he sniffed the air briefly. "You're hurt?!" He freaked some more, not so gently yanking me from Loke's hold. Casting a scathing glance at the Spirit, Natsu shoved everything off the bed and set me down. In the light, I could finally see why my leg hurt so much. A large, jagged piece of broken wood the size of a Bowie knife was stabbed into the underside of my thigh, just a few inches below my backside. It was bleeding pretty profusely.

While nausea gripped my stomach at the site, I could hear Natsu yelling at Loke, though everything seemed kind of distant.

"What did you do to her?!"

"I helped rescue her, pyro! She was like this when I found her!"

"Then what the hell happened?"

"Lucy got jumped by a couple of men... Called Aries... Check on her... Go back for those men..."

I knew I was starting to lose consciousness, because everything, including the men's voices, was fading in and out slowly.

"Nat... Natsu..." I said, trying to hang on to warn him. My eyes were too heavy. Once they closed, I found it impossible to reopen them. ' _I have to tell him_...'

"Nat... su... The... Book..."

...

God, I was such a fucking weakling. I summon one Spirit for only a few minutes and it put me out like a light!

Wait, _did_ I only summon one Spirit? Aries, right? Then why did I remember Loke? I didn't summon him...?

Eyes snapping straight open, I gasped, "The book!"

What I hadn't expected was for my voice to echo. I was laying on something nowhere near as comfortable as the hotel bed, and the temperature was much colder than I was accustomed to. Looking around, I noted that I was in a cave of some type, about the size of my bedroom at home. A fire was built in the middle of the cave, creating just enough warmth to ward off the heavy snowfall that tried to make it through the small entrance. I was laying on blankets that were layered up, cushioning me some but not much. My leg felt like it was on fire.

Looking down, I also noted that I was swaddled with a long-sleeved wool robe. Looking around to be sure I was alone, I moved the right flap of the robe over and observed my injured leg. Because of the wound's position on my leg, it was hard to get a look at, but it was obvious that it had been fixed up and wrapped neatly.

Sitting myself up, I wasn't even given the chance to worry about Natsu before he strolled through the cave's entrance, any snow that touched him instantly turning to water and just evaporating or rolling off of him in droplets. His arms were loaded down with wood.

"Natsu?" I asked questioningly, cocking my head to one side.

Natsu's gaze zeroed in on me as he shook the remaining water from his hair. A smile formed on his face as he dropped the firewood. "Lucy! You're awake!

Laughing slightly as I ran my hand through my ragged hair, I said, "Heh, yeah. But, um, once again, not where I fell asleep...?"

Natsu almost barreled into me on the ground, but stopped just short. Placing a hand to my forehead, he said, "How are you feeling? You're probably a little weak from blood loss."

Shaking my head and waving him off, I said, "My leg's fine, I'm fine. I gotta talk to you – "

"Luce, don't worry about the Phoenix Riders right now," Natsu said, almost smirking. "Loke told me what he knew, and I used your glasses thingies to read that weird book. Then I went and interrogated those two dudes while Loke had Aries pop back in to fix you up."

"So you know then? Natsu, we have to stop, they'll _kill_ you – !"

"Not a chance," he scoffed, moving my robe over to check my bandages. I averted my eyes as he did this. "They may be really good Slayer trackers, but it's only cause they have the nose for it."

"Is... Is that while we're in a cave right now? The wind and snow make it too hard for them to find you?" I asked, shivering at the sight of the storm blowing outside.

"Exactly," he grinned, pulling my blanket back on top of me. "I've got to say, good job finding that book, Lucy. Well, also bad job, because it sensed you had a connection to a Dragon Slayer, which is what called those guys out. But still," he laughed as though he were thinking of something absurd. "I never would have guessed that Dragon Slayer _Hunters_ still existed..."

I almost started to say something comforting, but he obviously didn't need it as he laughed jovially. "And they're so weak! I mean, _Aries_ took them out – "

"Hey!" I snapped. "Are you calling my Spirits weak?!"

I could see Natsu struggle to take the smirk off his face. "N-no! It's just... Well, Dragon Slayer Hunters are supposed to be much more _formidable_. They damn well used to be, at least. For the longest time, I thought they were the reason Igneel left."

"Fine. So they're not as powerful as the book led them to be. But what about the mountain? The book said it used to be their lair, and we have to go in there to continue the job. How do we know that place isn't still swarming with those men?" Ugh, the whole ordeal was beyond frustrating. Removing my blanket, I tried to stand up, fighting to ignore the pain in my leg.

Natsu was two steps ahead of me, however. Grabbing one shoulder gently, he pushed me back down into a sitting position. "Don't even try getting up right now. You'll pass out again. And I have a feeling that the place _is_ still swarming with those men, but I'm not worried," he said with a toothy grin. "I already know where the entrance to the mountain is, I just have to get the key, which I might not even need. Once you're healed a little better, you can summon one of your Spirits to keep an eye on you while I go get it. I gotta say, Luce. That was one Hell of a book you found. Basically handed this part of the job to us on a silver platter."

My irritation was trying to get the better of me. "Natsu, we have to go into a den of _Dragon Slayer Hunters_. You're a _Dragon Slayer_. How the Hell is that handing us the job on a silver platter?" I was pretty sure my eye was twitching.

"Because," he said, jumping to his feet. "That book knocked out all the guess work! From here until we get the next riddle, it's all manual labor. I'm much better at plowing through a battle than research."

"Ugh," I groaned to myself, laying back on my pallet. "Testosterone."

Walking over to where he dropped the firewood, Natsu picked up a few pieces and tossed them onto the burning pile. I watched him take a small taste of the flames before returning his attention to me. "Hey, say what you want, but I think this job is starting out quite nicely. We'll sit tight here for a couple of days to let you build your strength back up and then I'll go grab the key and rush the Hunters' base. We'll be on our way to the second riddle by next week."

" _Starting out quite nicely?_ " I asked in a bewildered tone. "Yeah, I've only had half my body burned and been shanked in the leg. Great start." Regret immediately flooded me at those words, but I knew it was too late to take them back. Natsu already blamed himself enough as it was.

I waited for Natsu's reaction, but it never came as he seemed to deflate a bit. "Yeah, about that..."

"No," I said quickly. "I know what you're thinking and want to say but don't. None of it's your fault."

"Well, I know the burns were," he said almost morosely, taking the seat next to me as the blizzard raged outside the cave. "I can't deny that it was my fault, Lucy. I let my emotions over Lisanna get the best of me, and it got you hurt."

I opened my mouth to say something, but he continued, looking down at his hands almost in shame. "And it was probably one of the dumbest things I've ever done. I was completely distraught over her betrayal, but... It's taken me a few days, but I realize that letting myself get so upset over her is the most pointless thing I can do right now. Yeah, I loved her, but now... I'm not so sure. I don't think I can truly love someone who would do something like that. So, I'm done being upset with her. I'm done being mad at Bickslow. My anger does nothing but hurt the people around me, so I'm accepting that I no longer hold love for Lisanna like I thought I did."

By the time Natsu had finished, I could feel tears pricking my eyes. Sitting up quickly, I wrapped my arms around Natsu, pulling him in close. "Natsu, it's okay to be upset about it. She – they – hurt you."

I felt Natsu apply a little pressure, indicating that he was reciprocating the hug. I heard him from over my shoulder, "I know. And I was, but I let it go. I can't move forward if I won't let go of the past. So that's what I did. I let go of my past with her. Now I want to focus on the present, with this job and being with my partner and how stinkin' rich we'll be when we finish this job."

I felt my heart warm at those words. Though I still had to hide my feelings for him, it was good to see him bouncing back and happy to at least be in my presence. Natsu Dragneel was definitely something else.

* * *

 _ **Please R &R! If enough people leave me a review, I MIGHT can have the next chapter up by tomorrow night. ;)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Short chapter but enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Mount Rumble**

 _His mouth was sealed over mind, pressing our bodies together tightly. The lips that dance across my own were unbearably hot and commanding, moving across my own as his tongue sought entrance. I granted it to him, feeling him mold his mouth to mine. I could feel his hands trace the edge of my jaw and continue to skim over the sensitive skin above my collar bone. His hand continued to move down further, brushing my hot, bare skin down to my breast, which he suddenly gave a gentle squeeze. Oh!_

"Ngh," I groaned, waking me instantly. I was panting hard, sweat beading up on my chest and I could feel a wetness in the most uncomfortable of places. My body still felt like it was on fire.

Ignoring the howling wind outside the mountain cave, I turned over to look at Natsu. Being the living, breathing heater that he was, he insisted that we slept close to one another to make sure I stayed warm in my sleep. Well, it worked, and then some. Feeling his body against mine as I tried to fall asleep had led to some very enticing dreams, and it was embarrassing as hell to wake up next to the man in them.

"Luce, you okay?" I heard him mumble, though his face wasn't visible.

"Y-Yeah. I'm – I'm fine. Bad dream. Sorry."

I wasn't sure if I sounded convincing, but he didn't question it. "Mm'kay. Get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."

Grumbling, mostly to myself, "Yeah, for you, maybe."

"Huh?" I heard him ask confusedly. I couldn't help but look down at his open vest, showing his god-like physique. I wanted to touch him so badly.

"Um, I said I'm cold," I lied. As much as I hated myself for it, I was technically cheating my way through my fantasies.

"C'mere," he breathed sleepily, reaching out blindly and grabbing me by the waist, pulling me to him. With his body flush against mine, he mumbled one last time, "You don't hafta ask..."

...

"Why won't you just let me go with you?! If the place is full, you're gonna need some help. I could just call Aquarius and she'll drown them all in one go!"

Natsu and I had been arguing since the break of dawn, partly because I was worried about him, but mostly because I was frustrated with him. It was extremely petty of me considering my sexual frustration was not technically his fault. Yes, I wanted him, but it wasn't like he even knew, let alone could help.

I suppose I was mostly mad at myself. I let myself reach my twenties while still being a virgin. Yeah, I had gone on a few dates, but they all seemed so... fake. Like, I couldn't even be myself. I even started introducing myself as Lucy of Fairy Tail, just to see if the guys reacted any differently to me rather than gush over my long-gone family fortune. It would work for a while, but it always eventually came out about who I used to be. I found it strange at first that it took the Guild forever to find out who I was, but all men that dated me found out almost immediately.

And then I realized I had been sabotaging myself without even noticing. Deep down, I didn't want any of those guys. All I could do was think of Natsu, so I was purposely giving too much information. It always turned into a, "Oh my God, Heartfilia?!' which was always my immediate prompt to walk away from my date.

As soon as I figured out that my feelings for Natsu were ruining everything and causing me to borderline on obsession, I quit dating. Instead, I focused on doing jobs and training. I figured having no man was my cue to start working on myself, hoping I could focus on nothing else. I became very good at working in tandem with my Spirits, and my movements with my whip were becoming stronger and faster.

After a while of said routine, I finally came to a point that being around Natsu when he was with Lisanna wasn't painful. Lisanna was a really nice girl and pretty powerful. She had been perfect for Natsu.

Sadly bringing myself back to our argument, I listened to Natsu as he put his foot down.

Clenching his teeth in irritation, he crossed his arms across his sculpted chest and challenged, "Fine. You wanna come so bad? Walk over to me without falling."

' _Oh my God! This man's logical reasoning is driving me insane!_ '

He and I both knew that my leg wasn't healed enough for me to walk, let alone battle. When he saw the look on my face, he smirked. "Thought so. You're better off here with your Spirits protecting you than being in the line of fire with a bum leg. I won't be gone long. I promise."

Pouting, I nodded. "Please be careful, Natsu. You have to come back for me..." I paused a moment and gave him a stern smile. "I mean, you _really_ have to come back for me. I don't even know where we are."

"I promise." With his genuine excited smile, he bounced out of the cave and out of sight.

Once his presence was gone, it was like all the warmth of the cave vanished with him, even though the fire still burned strongly. Natsu had gathered enough wood to last several days, but I hoped he knew that I would be going after him if he didn't come back by the next morning.

The wind rushing past the cave entrance created a whistling sound, which echoed emptily through the cave. I was bored, but I wasn't going to use my energy to summon a Spirit just for company. I was a writer. I could keep myself entertained.

Luckily, after Natsu sprung it on me that we were on a half-year job and we had gotten to Starview, I stopped at the nearest store immediately to pick up some pens and paper.

So that was my plan for the day. I spent hours working on my new novel, only breaking briefly to eat an apple from our small stash of food. It was nearly six in the evening when the pace changed completely.

"Lucy."

Jerking my head up, I looked around quickly before finding myself face-to-face with Loke, the Spirit who liked to ignore Gate Rules.

"Loke!" I said, startled. Baring my teeth, I snarled, "What is with you and just popping in on your own? I hope you're using your own magic for this – !"

All he did was laugh, sitting down beside me next to the fire. "Come on, Lucy. If I'm here without you summoning me, it's always on my own magic."

Rolling my eyes, I set my pen and paper to the side and drew my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. "Okay. Fine. So what are you doing here?" I couldn't help but glance at the cave entrance every few moments, hoping to see Natsu bound in with victory in his grasp.

Loke seemed to notice. "Don't worry about the hot-head, Lucy. He'll be fine. I actually just wanted to come talk to you. The past couple of times I've seen you haven't exactly been under the best of circumstances."

"No kidding," I mumbled to myself. Grabbing a large piece of wood from beside me, I tossed it onto the fire before wrapping myself more securely in my blanket. The growing darkness was making the temperature drop significantly.

"Are you cold, Princess?" Loke asked with a sly grin, raising an eyebrow at me. "I can help keep you warm."

"Ugh," I growled. "Shut up. I'm fine." Again, a glance to the entryway.

Loke seemed to observe my motion very soundly. With a knowing grin, he said, "Ah. I'm just not quite warm enough. Not as warm as, say... a certain Dragon Slayer?"

My eyes widened, looking sharply at the Spirit.

"What – you... Huh?" I asked dumbly. Why was I suddenly so obvious?

With that, Loke burst into laughter. "I'm only teasing, Lucy. But in all honesty, I did come here to chat."

Feeling the redness in my cheeks die down, I raised an eyebrow at the Zodiac. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, nodding his head briefly. "I want to know what's been going on."

Biting my lip, I furrowed my brow. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters," he said, leaning back and using his hands to support himself, "I want to know what happened with you and the bed being set on fire. I know you said it wasn't Natsu's fault but I'm not sure I fully believe that."

"Oh," I said, biting my lip once more and staring into the fire. "Well, it's not really my place to say. Natsu... He just lost control over his emotions. I was trying to comfort him. Neither of us realized his fire magic was going haywire."

Loke didn't look pleased. "I don't see that as a reasonable excuse. I've seen Natsu lose it more than enough times to know that he can control it outside of battle."

Frowning slightly, I rested my chin on my blanketed knees. "Well, yeah. When he's angry. This time... He was just completely heartbroken. I can't blame him for that."

"Heartbroken?" Loke asked curiously. "Did something happen with him and Lisanna?"

"Um," I grumbled, poking at the fire with a stick. "Like I said, it's not really my place to talk about it, but yeah. She... Turns out that she had been cheating on him with Bickslow."

Loke's eyes grew slightly in surprise. "Man... That... Well, I can't say I wouldn't be upset, either, I guess. We always thought those two would be together forever. And then... Bickslow? Gross."

Looking back up at my Spirit, I asked, "So you understand, now? He didn't mean to get me hurt, and once he realized what happened, he immediately got me medicine. He felt awful about it, even before you decided to manhandle him. He probably still feels guilty."

The Spirit drew his brow together and his lips formed a thin line. "I guess I'll let it slide," Loke said, sitting up and adjusting his glasses. "But I'm still bound to protect you, so if it happens again..."

"It won't," I said with finality. I had no doubts about it. "I promise."

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed, the air having a hint of awkwardness. The only noises were coming from the whistling entrance of the cave and the crackling of the fire.

After nearly five minutes of nothing, Loke spoke once more, breaking the silence. "I'm guessing Lisanna would also be the reason you two took a half-year job by yourself, then?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes away from the fire. It was tearing me apart inside that something so horrible had happened to my best friend. Natsu said he had let it go, and I was grateful for that, but I wasn't going to let it go so easily. Natsu was the first real family I ever had after my mother passed away. I wasn't a vengeful enough person nor was I petty enough to kill the two for their indiscretions, but that wasn't going to stop me from punching both of them directly in the face once I saw them again. Natsu wouldn't approve, but I would be more than happy to take a punishment from Makarov just so I could make my point.

"He was gonna go by himself," I spoke softly, frowning.

I looked up to see Loke's surprised expression. "But he brought you? Why?"

Sighing softly, I began telling Loke the whole story up to that point. He sat and waited patiently for me to finish. Once I was done, the fire had burned down low, causing the freezing temperature to drop even further.

As I placed more wood on the fire, Loke said, "Wow. Twenty million is a lot of Jewel, but I can't help but wonder about the Gate Keys. One could be Capricorn, possibly, but Pisces and Libra are contracted. What could be as powerful as Zodiacs?"

"I d-don't know," I said, my teeth beginning to chatter. Yawning while shivering violently, I said tiredly, "I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep. At least if I'm asleep I won't feel myself freezing to death. You can go back now, Loke. I'll be fine, and using your own magic takes a lot from you."

"Not a chance, Princess," Loke smirked, adjusting his glasses once more. "Don't worry about my magic. I refuse to leave you unprotected while you sleep in the wilderness alone. It won't cost me hardly any energy to just keep watch for a few hours."

"But, Loke... Staying in the human world is really bad for you," I said, giving the Spirit a stern look. "I can't ask one of my Spirits to _watch me while I sleep_. Do you know how _weird_ that is?"

He wafted his hand through the air briefly, giving me a sly smile. "You didn't ask, and don't forget that I survived in this world for three years on my own magic. One night isn't going to hurt me in the least."

The cold had me weary, enough so that I just gave in rather than argue as I usually would. "F-fine. Do what you w-want. It's your m-m-magic," I managed to get out through chattering teeth. Laying down and turning my back to the fire and the Spirit, I wrapped the blankets around me as tight as I could to ward off the cold.

Just as I was getting comfortable, despite my shivers, I suddenly felt my blankets move as a warm body slid next to mine. Turning over quickly, I glared at Loke as he settled beside me.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" I snapped, propping on one elbow to glare at the Celestial Lion.

Grabbing me by the waist, Loke pulled me back down and against him as he said, "You're far too skinny to be in this kind of temperature. I know you said no but I can't let my Mage freeze to death. Don't worry. I'm just going to help keep you warm."

As much as I wanted to scream at the man – Spirit – I couldn't deny that having him wrapped around me substantially subdued my chills. No, Loke wasn't who I wanted him to be, but survival was survival. Besides, it wasn't like I never found the Lion attractive before, he just wasn't Natsu.

I couldn't make heads or tails of my feelings for Natsu at the moment. It felt like I had been in love with him for so long, but he was always with Lisanna, or waiting for her. Then suddenly, I was thrust into a six month long journey with the pink-haired wizard I was in love with, who just also happened to be single for the first available time.

But he was also my best friend who'd had his heart stomped on recently. What kind of person – what kind of friend – would just swoop in and start making moves on the guy? There should have been no way that I could have even thought about turning his devastation into my victory. It would make me the worst person on the planet. I could never be so selfish.

So hope was all hat I could allow myself to feel. If he approached me, mentally stable and one hundred percent over Lisanna, I could _never_ deny the man.

"Just keep your hands to yourself, Lion," I grumbled into Loke's arm.

"Trust me, Lucy," I felt him half-laugh, his chest rumbling against my back. "I have no intentions of ever doing anything you don't want. However, I'm always more than willing if you ask."

I tensed up at that and he laughed softly in my ear. "Lighten up, dear Lucy. Get some rest. I'm not actually willing to challenge the Fire-Breather for you."

I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out. What did he say? What did he _know_? Was I obvious enough that my Spirit knew of my attraction to Natsu? Or did my Spirit know something about Natsu that I didn't?

It took a couple of long hours to finally drift off, my mind racing about what could possibly happen between me and the Fire Dragon Slayer.

...

"What the hell is going on, here?!"

The yells jolted me from my slumber very abruptly, making my heart jump into my throat. Snapping my eyes open, I could see daylight in the cave for the first time. I tried to sit up as fast as I could, but heavy arms were still wrapped around me, even though Loke's eyes were open. The stupid Spirit was smiling.

Wrestling to detangle myself from him, I sat up quickly and looked around for the source of the yell.

Natsu was standing a few feet into the entryway, gaping angrily down at Loke and me on the makeshift pallet. Looking from Natsu to Loke, who was sitting up then as well, then back to Natsu, I panicked "N-no! This is not what it looks like! It got really cold so Loke helped me out! That's it!" To be honest, I told myself that I shouldn't have to explain anything to Natsu considering there was nothing between us... But I also didn't want him to think that I was sleeping with one of my Spirits.

Natsu seemed to stand there, a few visible injuries very pronounced to me, and take the both of us in. He didn't even seem to move for several minutes as Loke smirked beside me, obviously happy with himself.

Before Natsu could say anything else, I growled at Loke, "You can go now. I don't need a babysitter."

With a knowing wink, the Spirit said, "Very well, Princess. I'm sure the Dragon Slayer can take it from here."

With that, the Lion Spirit misted away into a golden cloud. Looking up at Natsu, I could see he wasn't happy, but he also seemed to be warring with himself. As he still hadn't said anything, I stood up from the warmth of the blankets and crossed over to him, stumbling a few times in the process. Without hesitation, I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him close.

"Thank God you're okay!" I said, pulling back to look at his beaten form. "Well, alive. Come on, let's get you fixed up."

Taking Natsu's hand, I tried to lead him further into the cave, but he stood stock still. Looking up at his expression, I furrowed my brow together. "Natsu? Is... Is this about Loke?"

Natsu seemed to finally come to himself. Shaking his head roughly, he replied, "No. No. Just surprised, I guess."

He didn't sound angry, but he didn't sound happy, either. "Natsu, it's just like I said. He was only helping me out. I don't think of him... like that."

Natsu's face seemed to relax slightly. "Yeah? Well, it's not really my place – "

"Hush, Natsu," I said, silencing him. "My love life is not up for discussion, but believe me when I say that Loke is not in it. Now, you're hurt. Please let me bandage you up."

Natsu allowed me this time to lead him to the fire. Looking him over, I noticed his vest looked pretty ragged, and there were marks all over his chest. Looking him in his bright green eyes, I said, "Okay, you need to take your vest off so I can get a better look. I guess you self-cauterized most of the bleeding, so that's good. If only everyone had fire magic like you..."

Natsu did as I said, stretching his muscles taught as he pulled off the fabric. I swallowed hard, trying not to focus on it as I moved my gaze to his injuries. Natsu's eyes were on me the entire time I was inspecting him, making sure he didn't need any stitches anywhere. I was thorough, lightly touching certain places I was unsure of. I had definitely seen him if rougher shape, so I wasn't too terribly worried. After about fifteen minutes, I had effectively wrapped the worst of the injuries, and there didn't seem to be anything broken. Natsu finally spoke, then. "I think I'm fine, Luce. I just need something to eat and some rest. These injuries will be healed by tomorrow."

Nodding, I removed my hand from his abdomen, where I had been placing the last bandage. I thought I saw him shiver, but I knew it had to be a trick of the fire's light. "Okay, well, you can tell me all about what happened while I make you something to eat. I'll keep a lookout so you can get some rest, too. Neither of us are really in any shape to be traveling right now."

* * *

 _ **If I get some pretty reviews while I'm at work tonight, I might can have another chapter up by tomorrow night. ;) Reviews are my motivation, folks!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Alright, my lovely readers. I regret to inform you that this will be the last quick-update. I've run out of already-written material, so now it's going to take a little more time to update. Sorry!**_

 _ **Also, thank you so much to all of my reviewers! It's so nice to know that my work is appreciated!**_

 _ **P.S. You get a little Natsu P.O.V. in this chapter. I hope you like it. ;)**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Second Riddle**

After listening to Natsu's story as I made him some stew over the fire, he ate and then promptly passed out on the pallet, not really giving me time for questions. He was physically and magically exhausted, so I knew my answers could wait.

He slept for most of the day, only stirring when the dark began to settle outside the cave. The wind and snow was picking up again, dropping the temperature drastically once more.

As I carefully placed another log onto the fire, I heard Natsu shift around, his groan ever so slight.

"Luce?"

Looking around at the pink-hair wizard, I smiled at him as his eyes opened sleepily, looking around.

"Good morning," I said brightly, moving over on the cold cave floor to sit next to Natsu. "Well, good _evening_. Sleep well?"

The Slayer grunted as he pulled himself to a sitting position, the blanket sliding down to reveal his somewhat-bandaged but mostly-naked torso. Rubbing his eyes harshly, he said, "Man, those guys were tough as a big group. Still pretty sore."

As Natsu lifted one arm to roll his shoulder around, seemingly working out the stiffness, I asked, "How many were there? You said there were a lot of them." I bit my lip, wishing I had been with him. If I had gone, he might not have gotten banged up so badly.

Natsu seemed to sense my worry, because he said, "A hundred, maybe less. "At the surprised look on my face, he continued, "It was pretty pathetic, to be honest. As individuals, they were as weak as hatchlings. But their Dragon Cannon was a pain in the ass. Those morons are jokes compared to the true Phoenix Riders." Making a disgruntled sound, he said, "Feh. They wouldn't have even touched me if they didn't have the original Hunters' weapons."

Scrunching my brow together as I pulled my jean-clad knees up, wrapping my arms around them, I asked, "So, how did you find the key to get in the mountain?"

Grinning with his sharp teeth, he said, "Didn't need to. Whoever posted this job obviously hadn't counted on a Dragon Slayer taking it. Once I was outside the doors, those Hunter wannabes let me in no problem. Heh, bet they regret it now."

I frowned, shivering slightly. What was I doing on a job so difficult? The first major showdown and I had already been benched before the whistle even blew. Did Natsu purposely bring me knowing it was likely he'd practically be doing the job alone anyway? He already told me that he only brought me along because the Master and the job demanded he have at least one companion. God, I was such an idiot.

"Luce, it's freezing. Come get under the blankets."

I didn't hear him. I could only focus on making the stinging in my eyes go away.

"Yo, Lucy."

Snapping my head up, I looked at Natsu in his green eyes, which seemed concerned. "Sorry. What?"

' _Even if he did only bring me because of the requirements, at least he_ _ **chose**_ _me..._ '

"I said you're gonna freeze to death. Come get next to me."

I hadn't realized it, but I was shivering from head to toe. Nodding slowly without saying a word, I scooted over on top of the pallet, grabbing the blanket Natsu held out for me and wrapping it around myself. The Fire Breather began to stand up.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" I asked, placing a hand on his arm to stop him.

He looked at me, seeming almost sad, as he said, "Got to look around outside real quick. Make sure none of those dimwits followed me."

Why did he seem so upset? He had just been laughing and talking about pummeling those dimwits. "No, no," I said, getting a firmer grip on his arm and gently pulling him back down to my side. "You're still hurt. I'll call one of my Spirits to have a look."

Natsu tensed, extreme discomfort apparent on his face. Brushing it off as his paranoid side, I pulled a key from my belt and swished it through the air. "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

Golden magic swirled around the air of the cave before Virgo appeared before us. Glancing over at Natsu, he seemed to have relaxed a bit.

"You called, Princess? Do I need punishment?" the masochistic Spirit asked, the chains around her wrists clinking softly as she bowed.

"No, Virgo," I sighed. Pointing towards the entrance of the cave, I continued, "Would you mind scouting the outside of the mountain to see if anyone is coming this way?"

"Consider it done, my Princess," she said in her sweet voice. Within only a moment, she was already gone.

Though I was under the blankets and next to the fire, I could still feel myself shivering. Natsu was right next to me, but he was staring intently at the burning pile of wood, a small frown gracing his features. I wanted to tug him over to me to sap some of his heat, but he didn't seem very happy.

"Natsu?" I asked hesitantly, pulling my blankets tighter around me. He looked up at me suddenly, but his expression didn't change. "Are... Is everything alright?"

Using one hand to absently grip his scarf, he seemed to try and perk up a little as he responded, "Well, yeah! Of course. We have the clue to our next destination."

Frowning, I could see through his exterior. "No, something is bothering you. What is it?" Natsu's face fell, his eyes drifting downwards and away from mine. The knuckles on the hand clenching his scarf had turned white. There was a very long pause before he finally spoke, his wayward hair covering his eyes darkly. "When you were asking if Celestial Mages and their Spirits... If they ever had romantic relationships... Were you wanting to know for..." He trailed off for a moment, seemingly looking for the right words. "For any... Particular reason?"

I'm sure my face showed my alarm, but my appalled screech was much more obvious. "What?! No! I would never - ! I-I mean, I _love_ my spirits, but never like that! Why – !?"

I stopped myself short on my last question. Coming back from a battle to find his Celestial Mage best friend asleep in bed (per-say) together with one of her Spirits was sure to bring that up. But Natsu obviously missed that I'd figured out the answer because he continued.

"Well, you were kinda asking about it... And then Loke..."

"Natsu, no!" I defended, waving my hands in front of me. "Like I said, it was nothing. Just one of my Spirits helping me out like they're contracted to do."

Natsu bit his lip, his sharp canine almost breaking the skin. He looked to be dealing with some serious inner turmoil. Was he really that upset? Why did he care so much? He never seemed to care much about what I did... Or thought I did... A secret part of me hoped it was jealousy, though I didn't want to stoop that low. I would never want Natsu to feel anything like that because of me. My jealousy over Lisanna had me wrecked. I could never do that to my best friend.

"Then... Then why did you summon Loke, of all Spirits?" Natsu asked nervously, finally moving his gaze to meet mine.

He looked so sad, and it almost broke my heart. Smiling at him softly for reassurance, I said, "I _didn't_. He's been popping in of his own accord a lot lately. He wanted to talk about what's been going on. He's very concerned about us taking such a difficult – and long – mission. I explained it to him and he wanted to stick around to keep an eye on me until you got back."

Natsu's tense shoulders seemed to relax a bit at this. "Oh. Okay. I mean, like I said before, it's not like it's any of my business – "

"No," I cut him off, smiling at him. "It's not your business. But you're my best friend, so it's okay for you to care."

Natsu held a blank look for a moment before nodding. Giving me a crooked grin, he said, "I guess I have to care. Someone's gotta keep you from gettin' yourself killed."

"Shut up," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "You know, the way you and Loke treat me, you'd think I was just some defenseless toddler."

Natsu couldn't seem to contain his snicker as he said, "Well, maybe if you weren't so clumsy – "

"I AM NOT CLUMSY!"

...

It wasn't long after that that Virgo came back, letting us know that we were safely the only beings in the area. After she dispersed, Natsu and I spent the rest of the night talking and laughing. He gave me more details about the Phoenix Riders, which actually helped ease my anxiety about the book. Natsu even felt as bold as saying that I probably could have actually gone with him and been okay. I pinched him on the arm at that.

"Ow! What was that for?" He whined, rubbing the spot roughly.

"I TOLD you I could do it!" I barked, gritting my teeth as I balled my hands into fists. "But _no_ , Lucy always has to stay behind." I stuck my tongue out at him childishly, throwing in a glare.

Natsu frowned slightly. "Luce, you're injured and I couldn't risk you, not when I wasn't sure how powerful those guys were." Cocking one eyebrow at me, he added with a smirk, "And if you keep sticking your tongue out at me like that, I'm gonna bite it."

I immediately retracted my tongue back into my mouth, blood rushing to my face. I knew Natsu meant nothing by it, but it still didn't stop certain thoughts from entering my mind.

Natsu raised both eyebrows at my expression. "You okay there, Luce?"

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why couldn't I go more than a few minutes without thinking like that about my best friend? What kind of despicable human being was I?

"Oh! Oh, yeah," I finally responded. "I-I was just thinking... Since we need to rest here for a couple of days, it might be a good idea to start on the next riddle."

Natsu was giving me a weird look, but it vanished quickly as he pulled a worn (and singed) piece of parchment from his scarf. "Oh yeah! I never even got a chance to look at it."

Scooting closer to Natsu until we were flush beside one another, I helped him hold it in the right light so I could read it aloud.

 _"All shining and silver,_

 _with many a face;_

 _My walls always faking_

 _An infinite space."_

I bit my lip hard, staring down at the daunting words. Faking an infinite space? All shining and silver? None of it seemed to make much sense at all. And what kind of place had walls with many faces? Like, paintings, maybe? No. No, it would have to be something much more difficult than that. Paintings was way too obvious.

Natsu seemed almost as stumped as I was. He was looking intently at the paper, not removing himself from so closely by my side. "How the hell do you fake infinite space?" he asked incredulously, eyeing the paper with obvious disdain. "You can look through any telescope and it's obvious you don't – "

"Telescope?" I said quickly, having a sudden realization at the word. Natsu looked at me questioningly. "Telescopes use mirrors. And mirrors..."

Out of nowhere, I was taken to a flashback of when I was very young. My mother was still alive, then. She had taken me to a fair, the kind that had all kinds of rides and candy and games. It basically had anything and everything a child my age could have ever dreamed of.

Before we left for the day, we passed by a building that said "Fun House." I was an exhausted little girl, but I couldn't pass it up. Once I went through a bunch of the tunnels and trippy-lighted rooms, I suddenly found myself in a room full of _me_. No matter which way I turned and looked, there was only my face staring back at me. It took me only a couple of moments to realize that they were mirrors. I was so amazed by all of it, especially when I noticed that the mirrors facing each other all seemed to stretch into eternity.

"Natsu!" I said, eyes widening. "Is... Is there a place where there's a lot of... Mirrors?"

Natsu's jaw hung slack for a moment as he looked at me. "Um, yeah. A couple, actually. But the most well-known is the Mirror Palace. Why? What do mirrors have to do with this?"

" _Mirrors_ are the answer," I said excitedly, pointing to the riddle. "See? 'All shining and silver with many a face.' Though mirrors only reflect, they are always compared to silver in color, and it has many faces because its face is whoever is looking at it! And look!" I gabbed excitedly, pointing to the next line. "'My walls always faking an infinite space.' Mirrors facing mirrors always gives the illusion of never-ending! So the next clue has to be somewhere with a lot of mirrors, and it's probably somewhere that's kind of important."

Natsu suddenly smiled at me brightly, bringing one arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him victoriously. "Wow! Look at you, Luce! You're smarter than you look!"

Baring my teeth, I snarled under his embrace. "What's that supposed to mean, you overgrown lizard!?"

Regardless of my anger, Natsu only smiled more brightly, and mischievous glint in his eye as he tightened his side hold on me. "You're too damn cute when you're mad."

And just like that, my anger deflated and my struggle against his hold ceased. My heart froze in my chest at those words. That was the second time he had called me cute since we took the blasted job that we were on. Did the guy even realize what he was doing to me? What he was doing in general?

"Hey, Lucy?" I heard him say, bringing me back to reality.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, blinking a few times before focusing on Natsu again. We were still incredibly close – I was almost sitting in his lap.

"You okay?" He asked, any hint of teasing gone. "You've been acting kind of weird lately. Well, like, weirder than usual."

Letting out a puff of air, I said, "Whatever. I'm just trying to deal with being uprooted for six months with no warning."

At that, I saw a blush creep to Natsu's cheeks. "Yeah... Sorry about that. I really wasn't thinking of anyone but myself at the time. And now I can't take it back..."

Leaning my head over and resting it on his shoulder, I said quietly, "It's okay, as long as I'm with you." I felt Natsu tense so, eyes widening, I corrected, "I-It would... It would be a lot different if I was alone. I'm glad to have a friend."

"Yeah," I heard him say, almost a whisper. "I would never let you be alone."

That left the air in the cave silent, with the exception of the crackling fire and howling wind outside the cave. Natsu and I didn't budge for several minutes, content just to watch the fire together.

Finally tiring of the strange, deceivingly pleasant feeling in my chest, I yawned aloud. "Alright... Well, I guess I'm gonna try and get some sleep..."

As I shifted away from Natsu, he replied, "Yeah, me too."

I laid down on the pallet, turning to face away from the fire. I felt Natsu shift as he hunkered down into the covers, but it surprised me once again when I felt his arms encircle me and pull me back flush against his chest. His heat was unbelievable, and I felt myself relax instantly against the frigid air of the cave.

"G'night Lucy," I heard him mumbled, his warm breath tickling my ear.

"Goodnight, Natsu," I whispered back, suppressing a shiver.

...

" _Natsu!_ " I cried out, waking from my sleep and sitting upright fast enough to give me whiplash. It had been one of those enticing dreams again. A very, _very_ enticing dream. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest if it went any faster. My body was tingling, and I was so sexually wound up that one touch could have sent me over the edge. My breath was coming out in harsh pants, and I could feel a sheen of sweat cover me, even though Natsu was not next to me.

' _Oh, God. Natsu!_ "

If I was absolutely certain about anything in the entire world, it was that I had moaned the Dragon Slayer's name out loud, so close to my would-have-been ecstasy. Looking around wildly, a horrified look fixed on my expression, my eyes landed on the man himself. Natsu was half holding a stick alight with flames to his mouth, seemingly frozen as he stared at me slack-jawed.

His reaction time was much better than mine, however. Face shifting painfully into one of concern, Natsu ask nervously, "Are... Are you okay?"

"Yes!" I said much too loudly, too quickly. Shaking my head as if to clear it, I forced myself to manage a more even tone, no matter how red my face was. "Um, yeah. Having a nightmare. About you in the Phoenix Riders' base."

Natsu stared at me, his breathing a bit heavier. Suddenly throwing his stick into the fire, Natsu stood. "We need more firewood. I'll be right back!"

Before I could even respond, he was out of the cave. Looking over, still in shock, I barely registered the enormous pile of wood that was already sitting there.

Did... Did he know? Was my lie too obvious? Was _I_ too obvious? Natsu always seemed rather... _uneducated_ in the intimacy area. He was always affectionate with Lisanna, of course. Holding her hand, hugging her, _kissing_ her. But he had already told me that the two of them had been waiting for marriage for anything further than that. So, did that mean Natsu was still a virgin? Before he started dating the Take-Over Mage, he seemed to show little to no interest in forming romantic bonds. Then suddenly, Lisanna came back after years of being away with her aunt and – poof! – she and Natsu were an instant thing.

Maybe Natsu didn't know anything. Maybe his Dragon senses just told him we would need more firewood.

Maybe.

 **Natsu P.O.V.**

My mind was racing at a million miles an hour, barely helping me focus on getting down the mountain as fast as I could. I knew Lucy had been acting weird, but... Holy _fuck_.

It had been two weeks since that horrible day – the day I was sure my heart has been broken to pieces. However, it didn't take me long to figure out that what I was feeling wasn't quite what I thought it to be.

Betrayal.

Yes, I had loved Lisanna, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we didn't have that connection I needed. Kind of like the connection I shared with Lucy.

When Lisanna had come back, it was like I felt obligated to make her mine. Of course I was ecstatic that she was back, and we had been such close childhood friends that everyone seemed to expect it from us, almost. I thought it was what I wanted, too. I had missed her so much, and we weren't sure if we would ever see her again since her aunt lived on the opposite side of the planet.

I did all of the usual courting bullshit that the men at the Guild (plus Cana) told me to. It was embarrassing and tiresome, but I figured relationships were supposed to take work. That turned out to be true, but not the way I thought. It took energy to be with Lisanna, and I would sometimes wonder why just hanging with Lucy was so effortless. I did all the same things with Lucy that I did when hanging out with Lisanna, sans kissing, but it was the easiest and most enjoyable thing in the world being with Lucy. There was always a tension with Lisanna. It confused me but... That's just how dating went, right?

Once I discovered that my feeling of heartbreak was actually one of betrayal, which are very closely related, a whole slew of raging thoughts seem to hit me, one after the next.

Love takes work, but being _in_ love should be effortless. I literally had not taken my own feelings into consideration when I asked Lisanna out, and that should have been my first and only red flag.

Especially because I had been developing subtle feelings for my partner up to when Lisanna showed up out of thin air. I immediately did as I thought I was supposed to and asked her out, hanging up my growing feelings for Lucy because I thought I _had_ to.

I didn't notice it at the time, but when I caught Lisanna with Bickslow, I felt a small rush of relief pierce through me. A part of me, deep down, had been screaming at me that proposing was a bad idea. Later is when I realized that it was also the same part of me telling me to quit doing what the others wanted and do what _I_ wanted.

I honestly wasn't sure how long after my revelation that I started picking my attraction to Lucy back up. I didn't think I was head-over-heels or anything, but she definitely felt like the most precious thing in my life. I knew there was no way she could even remotely feel the same attraction for me, though. If she had, I was positive I would have figured it out during the year Lisanna and I were together. Or maybe that year that I was unavailable killed any want for me she might have had? I had no way of telling.

Lucy was an enigma.

Which brought my thoughts back around to why I was basically smashing trees to bits with my bare hands. When Lucy had jolted up from her sleep, her heavily pleasured tone moaning my name, I almost lost it. I had never heard anything more beautiful and sexy and my entire life. But it was Lucy!

I saw her half-hearted attempt to cover what her dream was about, but my nose never lies. Her scent was coming off of her in powerful waves, and my inner animal instinct nearly howled with lust.

Being out in the cold snow while demolishing trees was the only thing that worked to stave off my frustration.

It was a fluke. It had to be a fluke. It was simply because we had been alone together for a while, and sharing sleeping arrangements for most of it. Besides, she was just as fine when she was sharing sleeping arrangements with _Loke_.

' _Yeah, but she didn't wake up moaning_ _ **his**_ _name_."

At that thought, I paused.

' _How am I supposed to act around her now that I know she might possibly feel something back for me?_ '

It was going to be an extremely long six months...

 **Lucy P.O.V.**

The next day, me and Natsu finally abandoned our cave in pursuit of the Mirror Palace. My magic helped speed the healing of my leg, but not near as well as Natsu's magic had done for him. He was at one hundred percent health again as far as I could tell, but I was still walking with a very pronounced limp. The sutures Aries had in place in my leg were at least finally gone, and the wound only required a bandage. It still hurt to walk, though, considering that piece of wood had torn some muscle as well.

The day before had basically been a disaster. When Natsu returned after my debacle, he seemed to try to keep himself as busy as he possibly could. Not like there was much to do, however. The enormous amount of firewood he brought back almost startled me. I heard him briefly mumble something about how the amount he had would be good.

After that, he clammed up completely as he painstakingly took his time arranging said pile, which had alarms going off in my mind. Normal Natsu would have _literally_ just dumped it.

Oh God, he _did_ know. He _knew_ and he was avoiding me because of it and he didn't want to say how disgusted he was with me for being so greedy and callous.

Once Natsu had built the fire up a bit too much, he almost seemed to panic. Still avoiding my worried gaze, he looked around the cave until his eyes finally landed on the parchment containing the riddle. Not even glancing at me, he snatched it up and began scanning over it.

"What are you doing?" I asked quietly, raising an eyebrow. "We already figured it out..."

Not taking his eyes from the page, he said with a slight waver in his voice, "Well, we're leaving out tomorrow. I want to make sure we're going to the right place."

That night, I told him the fire he built up was too hot so he didn't have to hold me. I couldn't have been able to withstand any more sexual frustration. But, unfortunately, I saw the relieved look in his eyes, and it stung.

Back to the present, I looked around at where Natsu had led us. It was late in the evening, and we had been traveling for three weeks, more or less, trying to reach the Mirror Palace. I had never been so far away from Magnolia before, but it appeared that the further East a person went, the more extravagant the towns and people were. It had eventually gotten to the point that we had to stop paying for hotels and start camping because everything was becoming so expensive. We had the Master's credit sphere, but we also knew that we would have to pay back everything we spent while on the mission.

The town we were currently in was a rather large, lush looking one called Faebridge. Everyone milling about seemed to be dressed to the nines, wearing extremely non-functional get-ups that were loud just to look at.

"Okay," Natsu said, looking around. "Where's the nearest market?"

It took a couple of days of intense awkwardness for the two of us to really start speaking again after the incident. After that, Natsu seemed to go back to the way he was before, which finally led me to do the same. We were both content with just ignoring... _Everything_.

"I don't know," I huffed, thumping him in the forehead. "You're the one that's been here before."

"Only once," he replied, looking back at me. After days of camping, he was starting to look kind of ragged, though I'm sure we were both were looking pretty rough. To say I needed a shower something fierce was a complete understatement. "Back when I first started searching for Igneel."

"You're still searching?" I asked.

"I'll never stop," he said, grinning at me. "You know me. I never give up."

"True," I agreed, nodding. Looking at Natsu, his clothes _were_ getting pretty dirty, and his hair had an actual leaf sticking out of it. His face was also splashed with the same mud from the day before. God only knew how _I_ looked.

"Let's just find a restaurant and get a hotel for the night. We both need real rest and real showers. We'll find the market in the morning to stock up on supplies," I suggested, adjusting the strap of my bag.

Natsu pouted at me. "Really? More money?"

Rolling my eyes, I said with finality, "Really. I can smell myself and it's humiliating."

"I think you smell just fine," he said before suddenly glowing a brilliant red.

"Wh-what?" I asked, feeling myself tremble slightly.

Natsu almost seemed frozen for a moment until he suddenly turned around and started walking quickly. "Nothing! Come on, I'm starving!"

Using much more effort than should have been necessary to uproot myself, I jogged lightly to catch up, walking behind him a few feet.

"Stay close," I heard him say as he held his hand out beside him in a gesture. I caught the hint and moved to his side, clasping his warm hand.

"Why?" I asked quietly, looking around at all the _too_ well-dressed people walking around.

"Faebridge is known for its underground sex trafficking," he deadpanned, keeping his voice quiet. Something in particular must have caught his eye, because his grasp on my hand tightened. He didn't do anything else, though. "And all these rich fucks you see walking around are all slave-owners."

"Oh my God!" I gasped out, bringing a hand to my mouth in shock. "How do they get away with this?"

"Contract," he growled, seemingly glaring at everyone that passed. "Most of the slaves were contracted into servitude by their ancestors. There's a massive curse on the contract, so legal slavery is basically a done deal here. The underground sex trafficking is highly _illegal_ , however. Almost all of the girls are smuggled here against their will. Their lives weren't contracted."

"Fuck the contract!" I said angrily.

"Come on, Luce," he said, not looking happy at all. "You of all people should know how powerful magical contracts can be."

I felt the breath in my chest hitch as I realized how right he was. I could be mad all I wanted, but I didn't have the power to break magical contracts.

"This place is horrible," I said with a cracking voice, the upset in my tone apparent. Natsu tugged me to his side tighter, which was the fourth time in a row. "And why do you keep manhandling me?"

Natsu glanced at me nervously. "No offense, Lucy, but everything about you screams 'not from here!' If those bastards saw you, especially the way you're dressed, they'd snatch you in a heartbeat."

"Hey! What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?" I hissed as we rounded into a small, somewhat casual looking diner.

Natsu shoved me into a booth and quickly followed beside me, not letting go of his hold on my hand. Whispering lowly, he said, "The traffickers won't swipe a local, but your clothes clearly say you're not from here. And the people here are despicably heartless. They'll watch a girl get snatched up and not bat an eye."

"That's so awful," I gasped out, discretely looking around the diner for any suspicious looking people. "Why hasn't the Royal Guard or Magic Council or _someone_ stepped in?"

"They have," Natsu grumbled, obviously displeased. "Numerous times. The assholes just keep coming back."

"All those poor girls..." I lamented, looking down sadly.

"You're fine, Lucy," Natsu said, looking at me deeply. I could feel a bit of discomfort at his gaze.

"As long as you stay close to me, they'll probably think I'm your owner."

"MY OWNER?!"

* * *

 _ **Please R &R!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Here it is! Chapter six! This is where the story starts to get its 'M' rating. Possible trigger warning.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Rescue**

"Lucy?"

Natsu's voice resonated across our ridiculously expensive room we had rented for the night. It was well past midnight, and I couldn't sleep. Apparently, neither could Natsu.

"Yeah?" I responded quietly.

"Are you sure about tomorrow?"

I hesitated for a moment. No, I _wasn't_ , but he didn't need to know that. "Yes. I'm sure. Just because we don't know what's in that palace isn't going to stop me. We've jumped into much heavier stuff without a clue." Another pause. "Why? Ya scared?" I teased.

"Yeah, right," he snorted nonchalantly. "It's just that the place is really... What's that 'D' word? Dinting?"

"Daunting?" I offered, rolling my eyes even though he couldn't see them.

"Yeah," he said. "Daunting. That palace hasn't been inhabited by humans in hundreds of years. The most anyone knows about it now is that it's swarming with some kind of bloodthirsty monsters."

"I think we'll be fine," I yawned, stretching as I found a different position to lay in. "We've taken on a nest of Wyverns before. I can't imagine that this could be much different."

Silence drifted through the room at that, but I could tell Natsu wasn't finished.

"What?" I asked.

I heard Natsu shift in his bed slightly. "If you're not worried about the palace, then why are you still awake?"

"Why are _you_ still awake?" I responded in kind.

"I asked you first," he said teasingly.

Feeling my face fall, I took a moment before responding. "I can't stop thinking about all of those poor girls. They're trapped, helpless, being sold like objects and used for their bodies. It's not right. It's not right at all. No one should have to go through that."

"Well," I heard Natsu say after a moment. "What can _we_ do about it? The Royal Guard has dibs on those pricks."

" _We_ could take them out," I whispered suddenly, imagining it all in my mind. "We could take down _all_ of them and free all those poor girls."  
"Luce..." I heard Natsu say with uncertainty. "I... It's not a good idea for you to go anywhere near those monsters. The things I've heard about... I don't even want those men _looking_ at you. And even if we did take them all out, they'll just come back again. It's been an ongoing war for centuries."

Feeling tears sting my eyes as I thought of those girls, I said thickly, "Well, I can't just sit back and let it happen. Especially since I'm basically right on top of those scumbags and I can actually help."

There was only a moment's pause before I heard Natsu say (the small smile obvious in his tone), "I guess we're doing that tomorrow first, then, huh?"

Feeling myself relax, I mumbled sleepily, "You bet your ass we are."

…..

"Natsu, quit standing so close to me. They'll know something's up."

"I need to at least be able to _see_ you. This is the stupidest plan you've ever come up with. I don't like this at all."

Natsu and I were in a crowded street, very close to where most of the "disappearances" occurred. Natsu was next to a stall that sold ice cream, trying to pretend like he was picking a flavor. I stood a few feet away from him, wearing my usual "outsider" clothes. Natsu, however, was wearing the blue Celestial outfit that Virgo had let him borrow, making him look regal enough to seem like he belonged around the people in the town. I knew making myself bait was a bad idea, and Natsu nearly lost it when I told him my plan. But it wasn't like we had any other choice. We weren't positive where the base was, and making myself the lure was going to be the only way for us to catch our predators.

"Just relax," I whispered, knowing his super-senses could hear me. "If this is a mostly mageless operation, I'll be just fine."

I heard Natsu's disdain as he said, "Do you at least have your keys hidden?"

"Yes," I hissed, patting my upper thigh, feeling the metal keys beneath the fabric of my skirt. I had them bound tightly and as high up as possible to make sure they didn't make any sounds. "Now, hush. I see some creepers walking this way."

I heard Natsu give a sharp intake of breath, but he otherwise remained quiet as I focused on the newcomers. They were two large, hooded figures, walking side by side. For a moment I thought they could have possibly been the same two that had attacked me in Starview, but the color of the robes were off. Feeling myself tense, I held my breath as I thought, ' _Show time_.'

Averting my gaze from the fast approaching strangers, I pretended to observe the stand of jewelry next to me. My instincts were yelling, screaming at me to change my mind but I held my ground. Using every ounce of willpower I possessed, I maintained my averted gaze, determined to not let the hooded figures know that I was on to them. From the corner of my eye, I could see Natsu still "browsing" the ice cream, but his sharp teeth were visibly bared, and it was obvious how hard he was restraining himself. His grip on the edge of the ice cream cart had already caved in the metal.

I was completely frozen in place by the time the two had come right up behind me.

' _This is it_.'

Impossibly strong arms suddenly engulfed me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides. Before I could even scream out, a large hand came around with a cloth and suddenly covered my mouth and nose. I tried to hold my breath, knowing they intended to use a chemical to knock me out. I was hoping I could fake passing out so I could avoid breathing it in, but even after I stopped "struggling", they maintained their hold. That's when I began to kind of panic. I wasn't good at holding my breath for very long. They held me in that position as the seconds ticked by, my lungs screaming at me more and more. Looking around at the casual shoppers, I was furious to see that there were people who definitely _noticed_ what was going on, but they couldn't even bring themselves to shrug their shoulders. They all knew exactly what was happening, and not a single person cared.

' _This is the most horrible town in the world._ '

That was my last thought as my lungs finally gave in, causing me to gasp in a large gulp of chemical-filled air. And then everything went black.

…..

"She'll fetch a pretty price, that's for sure."

"You goddamn right, Kristoff. She's hot as fuck, has a huge rack, _and_ the doc said she's a certified virgin?! I'm almost tempted to not sell her and keep her for myself!"

"Shut up, Reegan. You know we can't do that. Winters would fuckin' kill you!"

"Not if I bought her myself, cocklick."

"Reegan, you can't even afford a worn-out sock. You definitely can't afford a fuckin' unicorn like that!"

"You tryin' to pick a fight, Draug – ?"

The sounds of the men's voices were way too loud, but relief was flooding through me as I realized that I was finally awake. Though I hadn't brought myself to open my eyes just yet, I stayed stock-still to try and listen for as many names and as much information as possible. I clearly heard the part where a doctor "certified" me as a virgin, and it had me wanting to scrub my skin off completely at the thought of some random man touching me down _there_ , but I couldn't focus on that. I was there on a personal mission, and there were girls there in much worse shape than I.

Trying to make as little noise as possible as the men I could hear guffawed and roughhoused, I moved my (currently) bound hands slowly to my hip, my heart beating loudly in my ears. I knew there was a strong chance that the men would have completely searched me before locking me up, but I had hopes that they were extremely stupid. If they kept coming back after years of being disbanded over-and-over, they couldn't have a lot of brains, right?

When I felt the lump that was my bound ring of keys, I almost thought I would pass out again. The relief I felt was almost enough to have me cry aloud, but I was still careful and kept any noise to myself. I didn't need to let the men know I was awake yet. Awkwardly lying on my side so it didn't look like I had my hands on my keys, I turned my attention back to the men's conversation.

"Yeah, Reegan. Even if your broke ass could afford just a _night_ with the hottie, Winters ain't gonna let anyone touch her until she's had a full E-Val. We don't even know what's under her clothes, man. She could be all wrinkled and scarred. Not to mention, even if she _is_ a virgin, she could still have diseases. He ain't gonna put a price on her until he knows exactly what she's worth." Ignoring the "wrinkled" and "diseases" comments (as my eyebrow twitched), I focused on the fact that that was another different voice. So there had to be at least three men.

"We could E-Val her right now, Jergin. Winters might be happy we did the extra work."

"Fuck, you're a fucking moron, Reeg," a fourth voice said. Fuck. "We _can not_ touch her until Winters gets here. We got the doctor to check her first thing like we're supposed to but now we gotta _wait_. I ain't stickin' my neck out for you if you fuck with her before he says you can. _If_ he says you can."

"He's takin' his sweet time gettin' here, ain't he?" the first voice said – Kristoff.

"Said he was busy," the voice of the supposed "Draug" said nonchalantly.

"Well, we're busy too. Can't go snatchin' up more profit if we're busy waitin' around on him!" the extremely annoying voice of Reegan rang out.

"Reegan, just get the fuck out of here. You're a goddamn idiot. There's four of us here, so two of us can go out. Take Jergin with you." Kristoff.

"Hell no! I wanna be here when we get to E-Val blondie."

"And I said go fucking find another girl!" Kristoff's angry voice snarled. "If you stay here, I will beat the ever-living shit out of you and I won't stop until Winters tells me to!"

"Jesus, chill the fuck out, Kris. I only wanna have a little fun. Stop being such a prick," Reegan said, his voice indicating that he was intimidated.

"Just shut that fucking toilet you call a mouth and I'll stop being such a fucking prick."

"Fine, fine!" Reegan relented. "Besides, we've been scouting all day. This one here's the only out-of-towner any of us could find."

As much of mortal peril I might have been in, I couldn't help but be glad that there were no other girls getting snatched up that day. Natsu and I stood a chance of saving all of the ones they had. I wanted desperately to go ahead and call one of my Spirits to signal Natsu, but I knew that I needed to wait for the obvious ring-leader – Winters – to be there so we could nail him as well. Even though it terrified me that I knew this man would be there soon. If something went wrong, I would have to go through whatever their "E-Val" was, which I could strongly make guesses about it from the men's conversation.

"Man, it looks like she huffed the shit like an addict. She's still out cold." That sounded like Draug.

"Eh, as tiny as she is, it probably effected her more. Not to mention the fact that she thought she was gonna try and be a smart little bitch and hold her breath, pretending to pass out. Once she couldn't stand it anymore, she breathed in hella-big. She got a nice, big ol' dose."

So Kristoff was one of the ones that grabbed me. Okay.

"It was weird, though," came the quieter voice of Jergin. He sounded deep in thought. "There was this one guy with pink hair standing nearby. He didn't do anything, but it looked like he was actually bothered by it. First time in years that I've seen a local actually give a fuck."

So Jergin was the second. And they were talking about Natsu.

' _At least they didn't think he was_ _ **too**_ _suspicious_.'

Unknowingly, my breath hitched at the thought of Natsu. He must have been worried out of his mind waiting for my signal, if I got the chance to send one. I knew that he followed the men back to their "base" when they took me, but he agreed to wait for me to give a signal before barging in. The only downside was, if they _did_ find my keys and take them, I wouldn't have a way of signaling him.

So those disgusting piece of filth men better hoped their boss showed up before dark, because if Natsu didn't have my signal by then, he was blasting his way in anyway.

I didn't realize that the hesitation in my breathing was so pronounced, because I heard Draug say, "Hey, I think blondie's waking up."

' _Shit. Fuck fuck fuck. Fuck._ '

"Hey sugar-tits," I heard Reegan's voice coo as the sounds of feet shuffling resounded through whatever kind of place we were in. I was still reluctant to open my eyes, but I knew that my time of fake-sleeping was over.

Slowly opening my eyes, I was met with a quite a shocking sight. Instead of a dungeon or trap house looking deal like I had expected, I actually found myself in a quite upscale looking room. The flooring was made of ornate tile, and the walls and décor looked like they were done by professionals. The only thing that made the room look out of the ordinary was the six-by-six iron cell I was currently trapped inside of.

And on the other side of the bars, there were two men leering at me while two others remained seated at a decorated table, complete with tablecloth.

"Aww, look at them pretty brown eyes," the one closest to me – which must have been Reegan, judging by his voice – said with a disgusting tone He had rusty orange hair (not the pretty color that Loke sported) and was actually dressed in a suit. In fact, they were all dressed in suits.

"Heh, yeah. Their eyes are always the prettiest when we first get 'em. They still got life," said the purple haired man next to him. His voice told me he was Draug.

Still trying to play my part, I put a worried emphasis in my voice (not that it took much effort). "What... What's going on? Who are you people?" Taking a dramatic moment to look around me, I continued, "Where am I? What's going on!?"

I let myself escalate into hysterics, trying my best to not let the hysterics be true. I was a powerful wizard and I was on a mission. I needed to keep my head straight.

"Heh heh heh," Reegan chuckled, sticking his face to the bars of the cage and taking a large sniff. Gross. "You'll find out, sweetheart. Just relax and _we'll_ do all the work," he said with a wink. Having another thought, he said, "Though we also appreciate a woman who'll do some of the work, too. Compliance kinda takes the fun out of it but, hey, I don't mind."

The sleaze waggled his eyebrows at me and it made me want to puke. Keeping up my facade, I screamed out, "What are you, some kind of pervert?! Let me go now!"

"Ha, in your dreams, sweet cheeks," said the black haired man from the table. Jergin.

"Let me go right now or I swear to God I'll – "

Reegan cut me off. "Or you'll what? All I see is an innocent, _helpless_ , _**virginal**_ little girl who just happens to have found herself completely trapped. What's your name, little virgin?"

Cheeks reddening, I said, "I... If I tell you my name, will you let me go?"

' _Come on, Luce. Find out what makes these guys tick. You got this._ '

The man at the table with brown hair let out a sharp burst of laughter and barked, "Ha! Not a chance. We couldn't care less about your name, it's just more fun watching our girls slowly forget they even _have_ one." _Kristoff_.

"Why am I here? What do you want from me? I don't have any money – "

"Oh, trust me, sugartits. You _are_ the money."

Of course I knew that was what was going on, but it didn't stop the gasp from escaping my lips. Before I could say anything, the heavy wooden door of the room swung open, revealing a man with white hair and irises to match.

"Boss!" All four men jumped to attention, bowing to the man. Kristoff was the first to rise and address him.

"We believe we've found a suitable product, Master Winters."

' _This is Winters. I better go ahead and send my signal._ '

Feeling my keys warm up beneath my bound hands, I poured some magic into them while thinking, ' _Scorpio? Can you hear me?_ '

There was only a moment's hesitation before I heard a voice in my head, clearly Scorpio's. ' _Loud and clear, Miss. Lucy. I told ya this trick would come in handy. Whatcha need_?'

' _Will you exit your Gate outside the building I'm in and manifest next to Natsu_? _Tell him I'm giving the signal. He'll explain –_ '

My telepathic conversation with my Spirit was cut short, however, when the door of the cage was opened and I was roughly pulled out by Draug.

' _Well, at least Natsu will get the signal._ '

That was a lot off my mind, but I still had to deal with keeping the boss occupied long enough for Natsu to get all the girls to safety. Of course _I_ didn't know where they were, but Natsu's nose would make it easy.

Losing my balance because of my bound hands, I fell over on my side. "Ow! Hey, watch what you're doing – !"

I was suddenly shut up by the man known as Winters. He shot out a hand and grabbed me by the face, pulling it close to his. I had to rise to my knees on the hard tile to keep my head from popping off. The man was strong.

Turning my head in every direction imaginable as he scrutinized me, he addressed the men without even looking at them. "What did Doctor Fremaux say?"

"Completely intact virgin, sir," Jergin said, not suppressing his glee.

Winters' eyes widened as he pulled me even closer, being entirely too rough. Forcing me to look him in the eye, he asked, "Is that so? How does something like you maintain her purity? You've probably had _dozens_ of boyfriends. Haven't found the right guy, perhaps?"

With that, he jerked me to my feet and threw me against the wall behind him. Before I could react, he grabbed the rope restraining my wrists and hung them over a hook suspended from the ceiling, lifting me a couple of feet from the floor. My shoulders were burning, my arms and wrists screaming at the harsh treatment, but I tried to keep my whining down to a minimum.

"Well, you waited too long," Winters continued in a malicious tone. Grabbing the front of my shirt, he ripped it away from my body with ease. The cold air of the room hit my mostly bare torso in a rush, and I couldn't help but jerk as I cried out.

' _Fuck. I knew this might happen but that doesn't make it any better! They can see my bra_!'

The four dogs in the background all wolf whistled and hollered, but all Winters said was, "Hmm, very nice. Only a couple of scars. Very well-toned. A bit pale."

My eye twitched at that last comment.

"Come on, boss! Let's see that rack!"

Winters snapped back at Reegan. "In due time, you mongrel! The E-Val has to be one hundred percent thorough. We don't want any unhappy customers, do we?"

Reegin immediately backed down. "No, Boss."

Returning his attention back to me, Winters grabbed me by the waist and turned me, getting an all-around view of my tingling skin. My heart was beating a million miles a minute, but I had to keep myself in check. I had to keep the boss where he was until Natsu got there. By the feel of my magic, I could tell that Scorpio had immediately done as I asked, and he must have been helping Natsu because he hadn't left yet.

The man's hands on me made me feel sick to my stomach, and I couldn't help but think how great it would be to puke on that slimeball's face. Unfortunately, I was so nervous that morning that I couldn't eat, so I couldn't have thrown up if I wanted to. Choking back a frightened sob and letting crocodile tears stream down my face, I continued my acting, "Please, let me go! I won't tell anyone! Please! I'll do whatever you need if you'll just let me go!"

"Nice try, sweetheart, but _you're_ what we need. You're not going anywhere until you're sold." That frightening grin had me actually starting to get scared.

' _Come on, Natsu. Hurry up._ '

While crying and trying to keep myself together at the same time, Winters did something that I had expected, but really wasn't prepared for. Grabbing the center of my bra, he yanked it hard. I heard the fabric rip and the elastic snap as it came away from me almost as easily as my shirt.

"No!" I screamed out, not able to control myself. My immediate response was to try and cover myself, but my arms were in no position for that. Restrained, hanging from a ceiling, I was suddenly completely topless. My large breasts were on display for every man in the room, who all suddenly looked like ravenous wolves as they continued their lewd commentary and disgusting conversations about me.

"Tell me, Miss. Heartfilia," Winters said, his eyes focused on my chest. "Are these magnificent works of art enhanced, or are they natural?"

He... He knew my name?

"How the fuck do you know who I am?!" I screamed out, real tears rushing down my solid red cheeks.

"Please, Lucy," he purred, making me want to gag. "I'm quite a powerful man, myself. Though I never met Jude Heartfilia, I could never mistake his beautiful daughter. Now, are you going to answer the question?"  
Crushing my eyes closed and turning my head away from him, I clamped my mouth shut as tight as it would go. I didn't know how he knew who I was, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of me wasting anymore breath on him.

"Aw. Well, I understand if you want to be this way. Guess we'll have to do the usual test, then. Not that we wouldn't have, anyway."

I violently jerked when I felt a rough hand tentatively touch my right breast, just below the nipple. Tears were flowing freely now, and trying to focus on Natsu saving me was all that kept me from going completely insane.

' _This is all my fault, anyway. This was_ _ **my**_ _plan. I can't blame anyone but myself_.'

Shame clouded through me on top of the other emotions I could feel building, but they couldn't block out the feeling as rough hands suddenly began assaulting my breasts roughly. They squished and squeezed them harshly, pinching my sensitive peaks and making me scream out in pain. There was no pleasure to be had from it.

I couldn't stop my crying as each man took his turn feeling my breasts, none of them being gentle whatsoever. I was sure I would be bruised, and my morale was dropping dangerously low. Those men had just sexually assaulted me, and there was literally nothing I could do.

"Consensus?" Draug asked, sneering as he dragged out his turn.

They all seemed to be in agreement. "Completely real."

"Alright, now for the rest of the E-Val..." Winters said, approaching me. I was almost hyperventilating by that point, but I still refused to look at him, or any of them.

"No time now, there's an intruder! And he's right _here_."

"Natsu!"

* * *

 _ **Please R &R to make this poor author feel good about herself. I have loved everyone's reviews so far!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_Sweet chapter, mostly dealing with the aftermath._**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: The Great Escape**

 _"Alright, now for the rest of the E-Val..." Winters said with an evil drawl, approaching me. I was almost hyperventilating by that point, but I still refused to look at him, or any of them._

 _"No time now, there's an intruder! And he's right_ _ _ **here**__ _."_

 _"Natsu!"  
….._

There, standing in the doorway to the much-too-fancy room, stood Natsu. He didn't seem to have a scratch on him, but I couldn't see Scorpio anywhere.

When Natsu's eyes landed on me as I was hanging there, crying and exposed, the absolute strangest look overcame him before his whole body engulfed itself with furious electric flames. Oh, he was pissed. The crazed look in his eyes were so piercing, they were enough to scare anyone into submission.

Tearing his eyes from me, Natsu roared at Winters, "You're the leader of this shithole, right?! Winters!?"

Winters didn't seem very fazed, but his lackeys all immediately drew their guns and began firing at Natsu. Surprisingly, though, it seemed like every shot that even touched his flames just melted on contact, his magic acting as sort of a shield against the mortal weapons.

"And you want to know because...?" Winters asked nonchalantly, though I could see how tense he was.

"Because your traitorous goons told me everything I needed to know before I incinerated them _all_ ," Natsu said, his voice low, almost predatory. "I know that _you're_ the one behind all of this. And after seeing what you've done to _my_ Lucy, I'm all _**fired**_ up now! There's no one left here but us, Snowball. I freed all of the girls, _and_ the ones you hid in the _other_ places, too. Every last one of your comrades have fallen, except these four. And _**none**_ of you deserve to live!"

With the end of his rant, Natsu launched forward, his electrically flaming fist aiming straight for Winters. I think both Natsu and I were both surprised when Winters almost dodged it completely, only receiving a a small burn on his ankle.

"Did my 'fallen comrades' happen to mention that I'm also a mage, just like you? _Dragon Slayer_?" Winters challenged with a smirk. Flinging his arms out at Natsu, he yelled, "Requip: Ice Staff!"

' _Whoa,_ ' I thought. ' _He uses Requip magic like Erza, only he stores magical staffs instead of weapons._ '

"Ha!" Natsu laughed sarcastically at the man. "If you think being an Ice Mage is gonna help you, you're in for a big surprise."

I wanted to laugh with him through the pain, but just as I was about to do so, I felt lumbering arms wrap around me and pull me from the hook. Looking up, I could see Reegan, a manic look in his eye as he gripped me tight and started making a run for it.

"Natsu!" I screamed out.

"Lucy!" he yelled, trying to make a dash for me. Unfortunately, Winters was fast, and he blocked Natsu just in time to stop him.

"Ah, so you _know_ this lovely little virgin Heartfilia?"

I kicked and screamed out at Reegan as he carried me out of the room and down a long hallway. Screaming back at the room, I yelled, "Natsu! Beat him to a pulp! Don't worry about me!" Using every ounce of physical strength I possessed, I began pounding my fists anywhere I could reach on Reegan. "Let me down, you fucking pervert!"

"Nah," he said in an uncaring voice, continuing his fast pace. I was so busy trying to beat him up that I didn't notice where he was taking me until we had reached what looked like an underground passage. He had only been carrying me through it for maybe ten minutes before he stopped us at a large, steel door. Carrying me inside, he threw me to the ground as he secured the door behind him. Beside me was a barrel of water and a giant tub of rice. Other than that, the room was nothing but stone and wall sconces.

Turning to look at me with his disgusting grin, he said, "Looks like I have you all to myself _after_ all. Winters is strong, but it was easy to see your friend is stronger. But he can't get in here, and neither can _anyone_ else."

With that, the creep began walking towards me, obvious intent in his eyes. I was trying my best to cover my chest, but I needed to access my keys. I could feel that Scorpio was gone, so I could summon another Spirit with ease. Forgoing my modesty for just the moment, I reached down and pulled my keys from beneath my skirt. Snatching one, I dipped its tip into the barrel of water and turned it. "Open! Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"

"Aw, fuck, you're a wizard, too?" Reegan cried out as he watched the golden Celestial magic form beside me.

Once Aquarius manifested, she looked down at me in obvious disdain before her face suddenly froze. Taking in my form, she said in an almost-forced bored tone, "Hmm, judging by how rough a day it looks like you're having, I won't complain about the barrel water. And don't even say it. Take this guy out, right?"

I nodded, my voice stuck in my throat. Somewhere off in the distance, we could all hear what sounded like an atomic bomb, shaking the ground beneath us.

' _Natsu..._ '

Reegan, obviously a moron, exclaimed, "Whoa, I _knew_ you had the hots for me blondie! That's so sweet that you'd invite a babe friend – "

Aquarius bared her teeth as she raged at the man, bring her water attack down viciously on him, continuing her onslaught for several minutes and not letting up. "You disgusting trash! You don't deserve to even breathe the same air as us!"

And that was all it took. The small dungeon-like room was flooded quickly, but Reegan took the brunt of most of it. The man had obviously not been any type of wizard, because he went down without any kind of fight. He was blown into the corner, blood seeping from his head as it looked like it had been slammed into the wall. Looking back at me, Aquarius said with reluctance in her voice, "Scorpio told me what happened. I... I'd expect nothing less from my Mage than to bring justice to those poor girls... Er... Well done."

With that, she dispersed, leaving me alone in the room while soaking wet and still half-naked. It was freezing down in the sodden dungeon.

' _Ugh. Aquarius could have at least loaned me a top or something. Or unbound my hands!_ '

Just as I was thinking that, I heard Natsu's voice off in the distance on the other side of the thick door.

" _Lucy_?!"

"Natsu, I'm here!" I called out, using my arms to once again cover my chest. At the rate everything was going, my cheeks wouldn't stop burning red for months. "It's a big, giant, steel... door... thing."

"Stand back!" was all I heard before a sudden fiery blast erupted through the door, melting the steel easily. Natsu suddenly jumped through the molten hole, looking around frantically.

"Natsu!" I cried out, grappling to my feet and running forward, basically tackling him. I would have wrapped my arms around him, modesty or not, but my hands were still bound. I felt Natsu's arms wrap around me tightly, bringing me close to him.

"Luce, are you okay?" he asked, drawing me back to look at my face with the weirdest expression gracing his features.

"Y-yeah," I said, nodding. I could feel the dried tears on my face, and I was sure my eyes were red and puffy. "They... They didn't do anything... _too_ bad."

"You're soaking wet. Aquarius?" he asked, not removing his eyes from my face. It was like he was deliberately trying not to look at my barely-covered breasts.

"Yeah," I said, shivering.

Natsu looked to be okay. His clothes weren't even roughed up a little bit. Reaching forward, he easily ripped the thick ropes binding my wrists away. "Can..." he started to ask. "Let me carry you back to the hotel. It'll be faster. We gotta get out of here before the Royal Guard shows up."

I suppose I was kind of in shock, which was why I complied and allowed him to sweep me into his arms. Everything seemed to have happened so quickly that I didn't know what in my memories I needed to deal with first. My brain was a complete and total jumbled mess.

Unraveling his scarf from his neck, Natsu draped it atop me, sufficiently covering what mattered. He didn't say a word, but I managed to mumble out a thank you. After that, he took off at a sprint, running as fast as carrying me would allow him to. I was still kind of dazed and didn't say anything as I just let my mind go blank.

I had no sense of time at the moment, so I was surprised when I snapped out of it and suddenly found myself sitting on one of the familiar beds of our hotel room, wrapped tightly in a blanket.

"Luce?"

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, snapping my head to up to meet Natsu's worried gaze.

"Oh, thank God," Natsu said, letting out a relieved sigh. "You weren't responding at all for a few minutes there. Thought something was really wrong."

"No, no. I'm just... Tired. That took a lot longer than I thought it would," I lied.

"Are you sure you're okay...?" he asked nervously, kneeling down in front of me. "I saw how they had you... I... God, Lucy, I was fucking right. That was a _horrible_ idea."

Laughing sadly, I said, "Yeah. You were right. That idea was... _awful_. But you said you got the other girls freed, right?"

"Yeah, but Luce – "

"Then that's what matters," I said, standing while keeping the blanket around my still naked torso. "We gave those girls their lives back. Now, I'm gonna go take a shower. I won't be long."

I cringed inwardly at the monotonous sound of my voice, but it couldn't be helped as I grabbed a change of clothes and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. Letting the blanket drop to the floor, I inhaled a deep breath before I took my first look in the mirror.

Oh God, I looked terrible. My face was still a crimson color, complete with puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Looking down, I winced. The men's rough handling of my breasts had left hand and finger shaped bruises cropping up all over the pale skin of my tender flesh.

Tearing my eyes away from the mirror, I moved over to the shower and turned the water on fully hot. I could still feel where those men had touched me, and I couldn't quit thinking about the so-called doctor that had "examined" me. I needed those flesh memories gone immediately.

Stepping into the boiling water, I almost cried out at the heat but managed to restrain myself. The water stung, but I needed it to. I washed my hair quickly, first, roughly scrubbing at my scalp with my fingernails as my thoughts became more and more dangerous. Once I finally rinsed the soap out, I stood under the stream of blistering water and let it cascade over me as more and more memories invaded my mind. Clenching my eyes shut, I shook my head roughly.

Taking my loofa and soap, I began the vigorous scrubbing of my entire body. I repeated the action over and over, not satisfied with how it felt no matter how much soap I used or how hard I scrubbed. After my fifth scrub over my entire body, my skin was raw and possibly bleeding in some places, but I still couldn't shake the feeling of those cretins' touch. Finally, I couldn't take anymore and slunk down into the bottom of the shower, actually letting my real tears burst forth through the dam. Bringing my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, I lowered my head to my knees and let myself cry under the scalding stream of water.

I didn't want to be so helpless, crying in the bottom of a shower stall and feeling sorry for myself. I went on that personal mission knowing good and well the possible consequences of it. There were other girls there who'd been through a hundred times worse than me. So why was I feeling like I was? Why was I being so weak?

It only took a moment in my thoughts before I registered that someone had entered the bathroom. I knew it was Natsu, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything as silent sobs continued to wrack through me. Without warning, the shower door opened and Natsu stepped inside, still fully clothed. Not saying a word, he sat down behind me and wrapped his large arms around me, holding me close as I trembled and sobbed. I felt him tense slightly before reaching up to change the water temperature to something not-so-hot, but he stayed silent otherwise and continued to hold me. I could only cry even harder, but Natsu never let me go.

…..

Once I was all cried out, I felt Natsu bury his nose into my hair and give me a nudge on the back of the head before he stood and walked out. After waiting a few minutes while sniffling, I finally turned the water off and got out of the shower, grabbing a towel and drying off. I groaned at myself inwardly as I noticed light splotches of blood on the white towel from where I must have scrubbed my skin too hard. Tossing that towel into the trash (Who cared? It wasn't _my_ hotel.), I grabbed another to wrap my hair in before dressing.

Finally exiting the bathroom, I looked around for a moment and almost panicked when I saw that Natsu wasn't there... until I saw a note on my bed.

 _Lucy,_

 _I went to grab us something to eat._ _I'LL_ _BE_ _RIGHT __BACK_ _._

 _– Natsu_

Sighing in relief, I sat down on the bed and continued to look at the chicken-scratch handwriting of Natsu's. My mind was still reeling, but just having Natsu be there for me helped keep me grounded.

If he hadn't been there when those men had me, I would have been as good as dead.

' _Shut up_ ,' I told myself. ' _It was all_ _ **my**_ _idea._ _ **I**_ _got myself into that mess. I can't go feeling sorry for myself when it's all my own fault._ '

Still, regardless of what I told myself, I couldn't fight the trembles that seemed to ripple through me. God, why had I been such an idiot? What woman in her right mind would willingly go into a sex traffickers' den? Why the hell did Natsu even let me do it? I was clearly a nutcase and needed serious psychiatric help for thinking any of it was a good idea.

I sat there on the bed for a good ten minutes, hating every part of myself. I was now scarred for life after what had happened, I did it to _myself_ , and then I wanted to feel pathetic about it? I didn't deserve sympathy from anyone, not even me.

"Luce, I'm back. You decent?" I heard Natsu call out as he strolled through the door carrying several food containers. He stopped for a moment when he saw me on the bed, just sitting there. Giving me a bright smile, he said, "Good, you're out. I'm starving, let's eat."

I couldn't help but give a small smile at his sunny disposition. Though I was sure it was all a show for me, I appreciated it nonetheless. Natsu walked over to my bed and plopped down with all of the food, beginning his usual checking of the boxes.

"Hey? Why do we have to eat on _my_ bed?" I asked with a challenge.

"Because," he said, his mouth already stuffed with hot sauce covered chicken. "If we drop something, at least it'll be on your bed and not mine."

"NATSU!"

…..

Once Natsu and I were done eating and putting the containers away, I finally noticed that I had a headache that was quickly becoming a migraine. I was pretty sure I'd had a headache since I woke up from that chemical, but I never had a chance to acknowledge it. When it came down to my injuries, there were only a few, but the worst was the bruising and my arms. My shoulders ached fiercely, and my wrists had clear marks around them from where the rope had been.

"Natsu," I said quietly, bringing a hand to my temple and rubbing it lightly. "I think I need to lie down. I have a killer headache."

Natsu, who was still sitting on the bed, albeit quietly, looked up at me. He seemed like he had been deep in thought. When he registered what I said, he looked me over. Though he couldn't see the worst of the bruising because I finally had a shirt on again, I watched as his eyes traveled over the rope-burns around my wrists and the small places where I had scrubbed too hard in the shower.

Drawing his brow together as a furious glint passed over his eyes briefly, he muttered. "Yeah, you need some rest, anyways. Just... Do you mind if I take care of your injuries, first? We're about to have to hoof it through the wilderness for a couple of days and I don't want them to get infected."

Wringing my hands together, I nodded, not meeting his gaze. I felt dirty, and the way Natsu was looking at me made me feel the worst of feelings – pity.

Pulling out the first aid kit, Natsu began making quick work of my visible injuries, cleaning them and wrapping them as though he was a professional in the art. He was so gentle with me, I could feel my heart grow heavier.

' _I don't want him treating me like I'm going to break! I deserved this_!'

Once he gave me the all-clear, my head was thoroughly throbbing as though someone was relentlessly smacking me over the skull with a rubber mallet. Thanking Natsu in a too-small voice, I crawled up my bed and settled down, resting my head on the pillow. Turning away so Natsu couldn't see my face, I let silent tears escape as I drifted off to sleep.

…..

" _Stop it! Stop it, please!_ "

" _Lucy!_ "

" _No, just leave me alone! Don't touch me!_ "

" _LUCY!_ "

Jolting up in bed from my sleep, I was breathing harshly as tears rolled down my cheeks, my heart pounding as though it were trying to jump from my chest.

"Lucy!"

Natsu's voice instantly brought my mind out of its fog as I realized that strong, warm arms were wrapped around me comfortingly. Looking up, I could see Natsu holding on to me, his terrified expression clouded by pain. He didn't let go of me once he realized I was awake.

"N-Natsu?"

"Jesus, Luce. You scared the hell outta me," he said in slight relief, leaning his forehead against mine. His breathing was almost as harsh as mine, and I could feel a small tremble waver through him. "Are you okay?"

Furiously wiping the tears from my eyes, I tried to remove myself from his hold, but he wouldn't relent. "I'm – I'm fine. It was only a dream."

Natsu took my answer in silence, but only for a moment before he said with a growl, "Lucy, you can't do this to yourself."

"D-Do what?" I asked hesitantly.

"Act like what happened doesn't bother you!" he snapped. "You can't just bottle it all up! I know you, and I know you think you gotta be strong about this, but you _don't_!"

"Natsu," I said, trying to keep myself from trembling. "I don't... I don't have the _right_ to be upset about it! I put myself in that situation knowing full well what could happen! I don't deserve to be upset. Those other girls there didn't have a choice but _I_ did, and I did it anyway! I feel so guilty just for crying over this when I don't have the right to!"

"You went in there to save those girls!" he snarled. "Just because you sacrificed yourself for their sake doesn't mean you can't hurt, too. Even if it _was_ your plan – even if you _knew_ what could happen – it doesn't make it any less painful for you! When the Master had to banish Laxus, he _knew_ what he was doing, but it didn't stop him from hurting any less! Just because you put yourself in that situation doesn't mean you don't deserve to be upset about it. And don't you _dare_ feel guilty for it. There were hundreds of girls in there, and once they heard what you were doing, they all wanted to come in and fight with you! They wanted to meet the woman who sacrificed herself to selflessly to free them!"

Natsu was still holding on to me, and I couldn't help but grip the front of his vest tightly and pull him closer. Burying my face in the crook of his neck, I let a small sob escape me.

"I should feel _thankful_ ," I muttered dejectedly. "I got out basically unscathed."

Natsu was silent for a moment, his breathing heavy as a low rumble reverberated through his chest. "Can... Can you tell me what happened?"

Clenching my eyes shut, I tightened my grip on his vest. Taking a deep, shaking breath, I started. "Like I said, not too much. I woke up in that cage and faked being still passed out so I could listen to the men in the room. The one that snatched me, Reegan... Everything he said was so _foul_. And the others weren't much kinder. They said they had a 'doctor' examine me while I was out, to certify me as a... as a _virgin_. They kept talking about waiting for their leader to do something they called an E-Val, though I'm sure we both know what that means. When he showed up, he chained me up to the ceiling and started talking about how he knew who I was, though I don't know how. Then he started touching me all over." Taking another deep breath and steeling myself, I continued, "And then he took my top off so they could all... So they could make sure my breasts were real. They were so rough, it hurt so much..."

I couldn't keep going as a fresh wave of tears overtook me. Shaking and sobbing, my mind flew through the images of those monsters, of what they did, of what they were _going_ to do... It was a truly terrifying thought.

"I'm sorry," Natsu said softly, bring his head down to rest on my shoulder while not releasing his hold on me. His voice almost seemed to crack as he continued. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there sooner. If Scorpio hadn't been helping me, I might have been too late..."

"No," I said with a shaky voice, bringing my tear-stained face to meet Natsu's. "Don't blame yourself. You got there before anything _really_ bad happened. And... And I don't think they would have done _that_ to me... Not yet, anyway. I think being a virgin was the only reason they didn't."

Natsu, though still looking solemn, quirked an eyebrow at me. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Inwardly rolling my eyes at Natsu's naivete, I gave a shaky laugh. "Apparently virgins are worth a lot more on the black market, so they couldn't ruin the product."

I heard Natsu growl. "Women are not _objects_ that can just be sold! If I could go back and kill those fuckers again, I would."

I gasped lightly. "You really killed all of them?"  
Natsu gave me a confused look but said with steely resolve, "Of course I did! I never want to kill my enemies but those scum didn't even deserve to _exist_. If the Royal Guard finds out it was us we could be in a lot of trouble, but I have _no_ regrets. Those men are _gone_ , and they can never hurt anyone ever again."

Resting myself back into Natsu's embrace, my tears finally coming to a halt, I said with remorse, "If only the rest of this godforsaken town wasn't such a horrible place... I'm ready for tomorrow so we can leave. My biggest regret is not being able to break that stupid contract."

Feeling Natsu's lips on my forehead smile, I heard him say, "I think we can do it. But let's wait until our job is over. The Royal Guard is gonna be swarming this town for a while and we can't afford to get caught."

Smiling my first real smile, even though Natsu couldn't see it, I said, "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

 _ **Don't forget to leave a review! Next chapter, ONWARDS TO THE MIRROR PALACE!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A big shout out to all my reviewers! I love you all!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The Storm**

The next morning, I woke up rather peacefully. There were no nightmares, no crying. Opening my eyes to the morning like, I could still feel the ache in my shoulders as well as the slight pinches of pain spread throughout my body, but it wasn't all that bad.

A loud snore right beside me brought me to attention. I was fully clothed, thank God, but I was still clearly curled up next to a sleeping Natsu, who had maintained his hold on me through the rest of the night. Looking down at the pink-haired man, I couldn't help but smile at how handsome he was, even in his sleep. His face was relaxed, a tiny trail of drool creeping from the corner of his mouth. Past his parted lips, I could see his more prominent sharp canines. For a brief moment, I had the strangest desire to touch them.

' _What is wrong with you, idiot_?' I screamed at myself internally. ' _You're such a fucking weirdo! Wake his ass up so the two of you can leave this wretched town_!'

Just as I raised my hand to smack Natsu awake, I stopped just short. ' _This man saved your life and comforted to you_ _ **all**_ _last night. He deserves a better than a smack to the head_.' My temper simmering down, I shook my head to forget what all had happened so I could focus on Natsu. He was so... Natsu.

"Hey," I said softly, nudging gently at his tattooed shoulder. The muscles underneath there so firm that I felt a small jolt in the pit of my stomach at the feel of them, but I did my best to ignore it.

Natsu groaned, rolling over and burying his face into the pillow we had been sharing. "Mmnnn... Lucy..." I heard him moan softly. My heart almost stopped at the sound. Once again, I wasn't sure if he was awake and addressing me, or if he was still asleep. Why did I wish he was dreaming about me so much, though? After everything the both of us had been through, it wasn't something _either_ of us needed.

Trying again, I put a flat palm on his rippling bicep and shook him a little more roughly. "Natsu, it's time to get up."

"Nngh..." I heard him whine from deep inside his throat. The effect that small sound had on me was a little too much for comfort. "Lucy, please..."

That was finally the point that I noticed how his body seemed to be heaving slightly, matching his almost labored breathing.

' _Wha_?!' I freaked out, eyes widening as I pulled my hand away quickly. ' _What... What could he_ _ **possibly**_ _be dreaming about? He can't be..._ _ **Can**_ _he_?'

Natsu's brow furrowing in his sleep, a low, possessive growl escaped his lips as he bared his teeth into the pillow. In the sexiest and most vicious tone I had ever heard from him, he snarled with a deep rumble in his chest, " _ **Mine**_."

"Eep!" I panicked, promptly falling backwards and off of the bed. Landing harshly onto the floor, I cried out, "Owww..."

"What is it?!" I heard Natsu's voice yell as the Slayer hopped from the bed, fists raised and flaming.

"Natsu!" I scolded. He paused and looked down at me, laid out flat on my ass. His cheeks immediately pinkened as he looked at me oddly. "Everything's fine! I just fell off the bed. Calm down before you set this overpriced room on fire."

Turning his back to me quickly, he said in a more than irritated tone, "What did you go and do something stupid like that for?"

" I got... I just... Fell." Yeah, like I was going to tell him that I caught him dreaming about me and it startled me so badly that I literally fell off the bed. Nope. Not happening.

"Then don't be so clumsy!" he barked, slipping on his sandals and grabbing a change of clothes. Marching into the bathroom, he slammed the door behind him.

' _What the hell_?' I asked myself, puzzled at Natsu's immediate bad mood for the day.

Shrugging my shoulders, I started the process of packing everything so we could finally set out for the Mirror Palace. Natsu's odd behavior would just have to wait.

…..

"Natsu, can we please stop and camp for the night?" I whined as my feet throbbed viciously in my boots.

After Natsu had emerged from the bathroom that morning, freshly showered and highly apologetic for his earlier behavior, I could only stutter that it was nothing. I was distracted by the water dripping from his hair and rolling down the sharp features of his handsome face. I had finished packing before Natsu came out of the bathroom, so there was nothing left to do but for us to head out. He never did say why he had acted the way he did, but I also didn't ask. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know.

We had been walking on foot for probably eleven hours straight, only breaking for a moment for a bite to eat before continuing our trek. I wasn't sure what was up with him, considering how quiet and focused he'd been the whole day as we took the footpath to the Palace. He was usually very chatty, always talking about food or Happy or fighting. Since when was he a quiet person?

Natsu paused at my begging, looking around the area slowly and sniffing out the air. "Alright," he said, almost sounding monotonous. It made me want to cringe, but I said nothing. Something was bothering him, and I knew it must have had something to do with the day before. "This place is pretty clear. We can stop."

Jaw dropping to the ground, I looked at Natsu in disbelief. It had only just gotten dark and Natsu wasn't pushing us to keep going further? What in the hell had gotten into that flame-brained Slayer?

Natsu immediately drew the two of us off a few yards away from the path before setting his bag down. Frowning, he said, "We let it get too dark. Why didn't you stop me sooner, Luce?"

Chewing on my lip nervously, I said hesitantly, "Um... Well, you haven't seemed to be in the best of moods today. In fact, you've been acting kind of... _odd_. It looked like something was bugging you but I didn't want to say something to bother or upset you..." Having a thought, I pulled a key from my hip. "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

My golden Celestial magic dimly lit up the area as my pink-haired Spirit appeared beside me, holding out a lit lantern to me. "My princess needs some light, right? Do I get to be punished now?"

Yanking the lantern from Virgo's grasp, I said in embarrassment, "No! No punishing!"

With that, Virgo pouted at me briefly before she bowed and disappeared with her golden cloud, leaving just Natsu and me with at least a lantern to see.

Before Natsu could say anything, I gripped the lantern tightly as I suggested, "How about you set up the camp and I'll get the firewood? It'll be a nice change of pace."

Natsu, still not having said a word up to that point, finally spluttered, "Wh-what? Did your weirdness get worse, Lucy? There's no way I'm letting you go off in this forrest by yourself! You're not even fully healed yet!"

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms under my prominent chest and raised an eyebrow at the pyro. "Oh puh-lease! If we waited around for me to heal properly every time we needed to get something done, I'd never get anything done! I'm a clumsy toddler, remember? I'm going to stay banged up no matter what."

"No," Natsu said with finality. Without even bothering to take the lantern with him, he stalked away through the dark trees and into the night without another word.

"Ugh, that infuriating idiot!" I fussed aloud, stopping my foot on the ground childishly. Placing the lantern down, I fumed as I began unpacking everything to make camp. The weather worried me slightly, to be honest.

It wasn't freezing cold, but the darkened skies made the temperature drop more and more every minute. The darkness of the night was even more so obscure than usual as the moon and stars were all blacked out by ominous looking clouds. The breeze was beginning to pick up a bit, and there was an uneasy feeling in the air. Natsu kept a one-person tent in his pack of many items, but it was very small and kind of flimsy. We mostly camped out in caves for bad weather, but we had traveled too far from the mountainous area to have anything like that nearby.

That basically meant that the two of us would have to cram ourselves together in the single tent if we wanted to stay remotely dry that night. The only plus side was that, no matter how much it rained or how hard the wind blew, we'd still have Natsu's fire for warmth.

Having a sudden thought, I mused to myself, ' _I wonder if he would let me try cooking on him_...'

Augh! What the hell kind of thought was that?! It had definitely started out as an innocent one at first, but the second I pictured it in my mind, my cheeks flamed up and I felt a chill go down my spine.

' _Bad Lucy! Bad, bad Lucy_!'

Shaking my head vigorously, I returned to the task at hand, feeling as though my cheeks would never return back to a normal color. Grabbing some stones from around the area, I formed them in a circle so we could build a fire in the middle. If Natsu returned soon, I could have dinner cooked before the rain started. As I was pulling out the few ingredients for our meal that night, I heard what I desperately hoped was Natsu meandering back to the small clearing. Once his pink hair was in sight, I let go the breath I'd been unknowingly holding. He still seemed to have that strange, sodden expression, but at least his arms were loaded down with firewood. Once we finished eating, I would definitely be interrogating him about his strange new attitude.

"Welcome back," I said, smiling at him. "I have the stones set up over here."

He looked at me with a little trepidation before walking over and setting up the fire stack. Using some dry leaves and his piece of flint, he set the pile ablaze almost as easily as he would have with his own fire. Yeah, it would have been easier to just use his own fire, but then he wouldn't have been able to eat it. Even if he didn't need it at the time, it still supplemented his never-ending hunger and we never knew we he might need the extra power. We both shuffled around the site silently, getting our meal ready to cook. Once there were red-hot coals forming in the bottom of the fire, I placed our pot on top of it to start the stew cooking. I could hear thunder rumble off in the distance, and I knew that meant we might have just enough time to eat before needing to retreat to shelter.

The thunder obviously caught Natsu's attention, too. Frowning as he looked at the black sky, he said, "Dammit. There aren't any caves around here..."

Getting up from his position next to the fire, he grabbed his bag and began the tedious process of setting up his small tent. Not looking at me as he worked, he muttered almost too quietly for me to hear, "You can take the tent. It's really small. I can stay outside."

I think that may have been my breaking point as I'd finally had enough of his funky attitude for the day. Feeling an angry flush creep up my neck, I snapped, "What the _fuck_ , Natsu?"

Eyes widening, Natsu looked wildly around at me. " _Huh_?"

Standing up, clenching my fists by my side, I snarled, "You've been acting weird all fucking day, you've _barely_ spoken to me, and you think I'm going to just let you _sleep out in the rain_? You're acting weird as hell so spill it!"

Natsu looked at me blankly for a moment, holding one of the tent rods slack in one hand. His cheeks flushed pink slightly as he finally spluttered out, "What? I haven't been acting weird! Oi, you're the weird one! And I sure as hell ain't gonna let _you_ sleep outside in the rain!"

Feeling my eye twitch and irritation, I growled, "We can _both_ sleep in the tent, moron."

"But – "

"No buts!" I snapped. "It's a small tent, I know, but we can _both_ fit in it. It might be a tight squeeze, but..."

Natsu still didn't look appeased. Something was bothering him, and I needed to know what. Shaking my head, I said, "So since that's settled, now you can tell me why you've been acting so freaking weird all day."

The wind was beginning to pick up, causing Natsu's pink hair to flutter around his face. With the firelight dancing around him, he almost looked like a god, and he was in his element. However, he looked... _sad_? Maybe debating with himself?

"Natsu..." I said, much more softly, unable to maintain my temper when other parts of me were trying to stir. "Is this about the dream you were having this morning?" The Slayer's head jerked up to look at me with wide eyes, but I continued. "Was it a nightmare? I... I heard you say my name and it sounded like... like you were in pain or something..."

Blinking rapidly, Natsu looked all around the campsite to avoid my gaze. Eubbing the back of his neck, he stuttered, "Y... Yeah. A nightmare. About yesterday."

I felt myself tense at those words. "What happened?"

Still avoiding looking at me, he continued his setup of the tent. "Nothing, really. My stupid brain was just replaying everything."

"Oh, Natsu..." I said gently, a frown forming on my lips. The day before have been rough on both of us, but I had been so wrapped up in my own self-wallowing that I hadn't really thought about how it had affected Natsu. He was so passionate and protective, I could only imagine how he felt when he faced all of those enslaved girls. He must have been horrified and furious and heartbroken. Downcasting in my gaze, I said, "I'm _so_ sorry. I was so freaked out about myself that I didn't even _think_... I mean, you had to find all those girls like that... It must have been horrible."

I heard the clang of one of the metal poles as it hit the ground, but before I could even look up, Natsu's warm arms were enveloping me, crushing me to him.

"Natsu, what - ?"

"Lucy," I heard him say in a strained voice. "Don't ever be sorry about what happened. Yes, I cared about what happened to those girls, but the entire time I was more worried about _you_. Even though it was _your_ stupid plan, and even though I was _stupid_ enough to go along with it, I was almost having a complete meltdown looking for you. You're my best friend. My _nakama_. I will never be able handle losing you if something were to happen. When I saw you, bound and half-naked at the mercy of those _monsters_ , I was beside myself with _**rage**_. I never enjoy killing anyone _ever_ , but those bastards had to pay with their _lives_ for what they had done. Don't you ever, _ever_ pity me because of what I had to see. You were the one in the most danger. I should be comforting _you_ , not the other way around."

Pulling back to see Natsu's pained face, unable to keep the tears from forming in my eyes, I smiled weakly. "You have comforted me, Natsu. If you hadn't been with me yesterday, I don't know how I would have handled..."

I let my thoughts taper off as I watch Natsu's eyes slowly roam over the bandages dotting my arms and legs. Solemnly, he reached out and lightly ran his fingers over one of the pieces of white cotton secured to my forearm. "Still... I... I don't know how it could possibly feel to go through something like that. When you were showering, I smelled your blood. I didn't... How did you manage to hurt yourself like that? Why did you have the water so damn _hot_?"

Feeling the heat rise to my face as I remembered Natsu climbing in the shower with me to hold me, I tried to blink away my tears. "It's because... I needed to get the feel of those men's hands off of me. I... I scrubbed myself to the point that I was bleeding, but no matter how much I tried, I could still feel it. Feel they're _disgusting_ touch. They left bruises like crazy, and there's literally nothing I can do to make them go away except for wait. Until then, I have to look at them every day and be reminded _every day_."

Natsu swallowed hard, glancing briefly down to my chest but not letting his gaze linger. "Bruises?"

Looking away, I mumbled, "Yeah. Like I said, they were.. pretty rough with me."

Natsu looked at me, his face a clutter of emotions. Finally baring his teeth, he lunged his fist out and slammed it into the tree next to us, causing it and the ground around us to quake. The tree acted like it was going to stay up, but after a moment's hesitation, it crashed to the ground. I was startled at first before I reached out quickly, lightly gripping his fist and bringing it into my hands. "It's okay, Natsu," I said, running my thumb over his scuffed knuckles as I looked up at him. The rage in his eyes was fading, but slowly. "We took them down. We got those girls out. They can't hurt anyone anymore."

Natsu was silent for a moment at that, his eyes scanning my face, looking for something. After a few moments, he finally let a light smile grace his lips. "Yeah," he said finally. "You're right." Eyes darkening a little bit, he added a slightly more stern tone to his voice. Brushing his hand down my bandaged arm once more, he said, "But don't ever do this again. I don't want you ever hurting yourself like this. Just promise me that you'll come to me instead. Please. Just smelling your blood makes me go crazy. I hate the idea of you being hurt."

Untangling myself from Natsu, I smiled at him softly as I checked on the stew. The wind was beginning to howl, and I knew we didn't have much time before it came a downpour. The vegetables weren't quite as soft as I wanted them, but, since we didn't have much time, I figured it would have to do.

"Stew's ready. Let's hurry and eat before it starts raining."

…..

Natsu was leaned back against a log, patting his belly after killing off the whole pot of stew once I'd had my share. Off in the distance, I could see lightening quivering through the black clouds, and knew we needed to get inside the tent as soon as possible.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt a drop of rain hit my ear, making me flinch.

"The rain's starting," Natsu said, sniffing lightly at the air. Hopping to his feet, he helped me start gathering everything into our bags. Never one to let a meal go to waste, Natsu leaned down to the fire and began the process of inhaling the flames. In only a moment or so, he had completely extinguished the fire, which was good considering that was the exact moment the bottom dropped out, water falling from the sky in unexpected harsh droves.

"Fuck!" I yelled, having still not finished gathering everything. I scrambled around, trying to grab everything as fast as I could.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled over the sound of the pounding rain. When I looked up at him, I watched as a streak of lightening crashed towards the ground only a couple of miles away. The thunder that followed was almost deafening. "Get inside the tent! I'll finish this!"

"No!" I yelled over more thunder. "We've almost got it all! We'll be done in just a minute with the two of us!"

Again, just a little closer, I saw lightening strike at the ground once more. I couldn't tell if it was actually reaching the earth due to the trees, but it didn't freak me out any less. I heard Natsu yell something at me but I couldn't hear him over the downpour. Ignoring him, I made fast work of gathering what was left. As soon as I grabbed the last item, my canteen of water, I felt strong fingers grip my wrist.

Looking up at a sodden Natsu, I flashed the canteen at him as I smiled. "This is the last of it!"

Looking kind of grim, Natsu kept his hold on my wrist as he dragged me over to the tent, shoving me in first. He followed in close behind me, securing the flap of the tent so it wouldn't blow open. The wind was howling, beating harshly against the sides of the tent, but it didn't budge, nor did I expect it to. Natsu had secured the hooks so deep in the ground earlier that I wouldn't have been surprised if we couldn't get them out the next day.

Looking around the inside of the tent briefly, I noted that it was _much_ smaller on the inside than the outside made it appear, even though the outside looked positively tiny. Natsu and I were basically going to have to sleep _on top_ of each other to fit.

A sudden shiver ran through me, and I did everything in my power to steer my thoughts away from that. Just those couple of minutes in the rain and I was soaked to the bone. Teeth chattering, I looked up at Natsu, who was in the process of heating himself up enough to dry himself off. I could feel the incredible heat rolling off of him in waves, and I couldn't help but lean closer to him. It felt _wonderful_.

Natsu must have noticed, because he grabbed me by the wrist (gently, this time) and pulled me flush against him, forcing me to straddle his hips. Suddenly, I felt him heat up again, and it took me a moment to realize that my skin was actually giving off a reddish glow.

"Wahh!" I cried out, trying to back away. My words coming out in a hurried mess, I screamed out, "No! Don'tsetmeonfireI'mnotfireprooflikeyouuuu!

Natsu smirked and held me to him easily. "I'm not gonna set you on fire, Luce. This is something new I learned. As long as I focus and keep physical contact with you, I can spread my fire through you without hurting you. This is a much better way to dry off, don't ya think?"

Though I was amazed that Natsu had learned such a useful trick, I was more focused on his last words. With him holding me tightly to him, sitting in an almost embarrassingly intimate position, I had to say I _definitely_ thought it was a much better way to dry off. Snuggling closer to him, I buried my face into the crook of his neck as I let his warmth overtake me. I could feel every bit of him pressed against me, his muscles rippling beneath my soft skin...

' _Stop making this harder on yourself, idiot_!' I suddenly scolded myself. Jerking myself from our position quickly, I fell backwards and off Natsu's lap. Thankfully, Natsu's futon was already rolled out, so my landing wasn't quite as harsh as I landed on it.

"I'm – I'm dry enough," I managed to stutter out, hoping he would blame the heat for the redness in my cheeks.

"Are you sure? We can't afford for you to get sick – "

"Yes, I'm sure!" I said much too loudly, much too quickly. Trying to retrain my attention, I looked at the violent whipping of the side of the tent. The wind and rain were tearing away at the area, and the lightening and thunder was starting to pick up as well.

Natsu and I sat there in an awkward silence for several minutes, both of us seemingly listening to the raging storm outside. However, in truth, my mind was actually fully submerged in the gutter. The way Natsu had held me against him, my thighs spread over his as I straddled him for maximum contact, had my mind going a million miles a minute. My heart was pounding so hard that I was actually glad for the storm. If it had been quiet, Natsu surely would have heard how erratic and out of control it was beating. I felt an uncomfortable warmth pool in the bottom of my stomach, and my trembling had nothing to do with the cold.

Knowing that there was no way I could interact with Natsu anymore that night without causing some serious damage to my heart, I simply muttered, "I think I'm gonna go ahead and turn in." Without any further prompt, I snatched a blanket and pulled it over myself as I laid down, turning on my side so I couldn't see Natsu.

He didn't say anything, but I listened as he sat there for several more minutes in silence. At that moment, I would have given _anything_ to know what was going through his mind. He had been acting so odd that, for once, he wasn't the open book he usually was. And it bothered me way more than I cared to admit.

After about a half an hour, I heard him finally move. Feeling his heated body slide under the blanket next to me, I heard a slightly pained groan escape his lips as he settled next to me, wrapping his arms around me securely. I almost wanted to ask, but he probably thought I was already asleep.

Feeling his body so flush to mine, I barely slept at all that night, even though storms usually gave me the best sleep ever.

* * *

 _ **Please leave a review! I have triple the followers than I do reviewers! It's not fair!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**I got a lot of requests for a Natsu's P.O.V., so here it is! (By the way, y'all ALMOST didn't get a chapter tonight. My Writer crashed and it took everything in my power to recover it.) ENJOY!**_

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 **Chapter 9: Behind Those Eyes**

 _ **Natsu's P.O.V.**_

 _"Yesss... Natsu..."_

 _Lucy's moan came out in a hiss as I used my tongue to tease her hardened peaks. Our naked bodies were so entwined that it was hard to tell where my body ended and hers began. Hands running down her sides, I suppressed a moan at the soft feel of her skin. Her body was perfect in every way, and I wanted to worship it._

 _Lucy had her hands firmly gripping my back, and I couldn't stop the agonized groan that escaped my lips as I reared my head back from those perfect breasts as she raked her nails downwards. "Mmnnn... Lucy..."_

 _The gorgeous blonde that was writhing beneath me took her chance, reaching down between us to grip my hardness. I almost choked, but no sound could escape me as she began using long, languid strokes. The feeling was beyond exquisite. "Nngh," I whined from deep in my throat, feeling my self-control slipping fast. "Lucy, please..."_

 _I was panting hard, trying my best to not completely lose it as I moved in sync with Lucy's grip. Her intoxicating scent was going to drive me over the edge. Gripping her hand tightly, I removed it from myself and grabbed her other one, bringing both above her head and pinning them there. Moving my head down, I licked the sensitive spot where her shoulder and neck met, feeling the goddess beneath me arch into me in sheer pleasure._

 _"_ _ **Mine**_ _," I growled possessively before sinking my sharp fangs in, hearing her pleasured cries fill the room._

A loud thump and Lucy's pained cry jarred me, waking me up instantly. I was covered with sweat, and my breathing was still heavy and that dream... Oh man. But Lucy!

Jumping to my feet, letting flames engulf my balled up fists, I yelled, "What is it?!"

"Natsu!" I heard Lucy's angry voice. Pausing, I looked down at where she was sitting on the floor. After the dream I had been so rudely ripped away from, just the sight of Lucy was almost too much. Her clothes were ruffled and her hair was sticking up in odd ways, but at that moment, she was the most beautiful thing in the world. "Everything's fine! I just fell off the bed. Calm down before you set this overpriced room on fire."

Not realizing that my fists were still blazing, I let the flames go out as I finally felt my brain catch up with the rest of my body. What the fuck was I doing having _dreams_ like that? I couldn't deny my growing attraction to Lucy, but my libido had picked one hell of an awful time to go into overdrive. She had just been sexually assaulted the day before! What kind of monster was I, thinking and dreaming those things about my best friend? She didn't need me hounding her on top of all the other men she was inevitably going to have to deal with. I wouldn't blame her one bit for never wanting to have anything to do with another man again.

' _Yeah, but she had no problems with_ _ **you**_ _._ '

' _Fuck, shut up_!'

I needed to be her friend and help her get past what had happened, not encroach on her too like a fucking lecher. I was going to hell for ever thinking _or_ dreaming anything like that after what had happened.

Furious with myself, I turned away from her, not deserving to even look at her. In a much harsher tone than I intended, I said, "What did you go and do something stupid like that for?"

' _Fuck, Natsu, it's not her fault_.'

I probably should have listened to myself, but I was so mad at myself that I couldn't keep calm, and I couldn't stop myself from being harsh towards Lucy. Meekly, she said in a nervous tone, "I got... I just... Fell."

At that point, I had no control over my anger with myself, which ended with me barking at her, "Then don't be so clumsy!" I wanted to beat the hell out of myself for my behavior, but my anger didn't seem to want to die down. And it shouldn't! I had just been dreaming about... _that_... and it was with my _best fucking friend_ who had literally just the day before been hurt in the worst of ways. I _had_ to be mad with myself. Avoiding looking at Lucy and the possible pout she probably had on her face, I pulled on my sandals, grabbed and change of clothes and rushed into the bathroom.

I couldn't handle being around her right then. My dream was still replaying in my mind vividly, which still made me mad for thinking that way, but my other senses seemed to override my anger. I wondered if her silky skin was as soft in real life like it had been in my dream. I wanted to know if she really tasted like honey and apples, just like in the dream. I wondered if –

No. Nope. I needed to stop right there. Indulging my subconscious fantasies wasn't something that I needed to do, _at all_. The hard length between my legs throbbed, but I couldn't allow myself to think anymore on it. Lucy and I were on a mission, a job. I needed to focus on that.

Easier said than done, I supposed, though. I still had to make my shower a frigid one, trying to stave off my urges and make my discomfort go away for the time being. I needed to focus. I needed to focus, _hard_.

…..

The entire day, it seemed like I had been on autopilot, leading Lucy and myself to the Mirror Palace in silence. I tried to maintain very little conversation with her, for fear of hearing her voice bringing my dream back to the surface. Instead, I sulked during our journey. I couldn't help but think of everything that had happened the day before, and my thoughts about it seemed to last until night had finally fallen.

"Natsu, can we please stop and camp for the night?" I heard Lucy whine from behind me. That whine did things to me that I wasn't even sure of, but I kept my face as neutral as possible.

"Alright," I said after sniffing the air for any possible danger. "This place is pretty clear. We can stop."

Again, not looking at Lucy, I indicated for her to follow me away from the trail and into the trees a few yards. It was never safe to camp on a trail. Frowning at the darkness surrounding us, I said, "We let it get too dark. Why didn't you stop me sooner, Luce?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "Um... Well, you haven't seemed to be in the best of moods today. In fact, you've been acting kind of... _odd_. It looked like something was bugging you but I didn't want to say something to bother or upset you..." She paused for a moment before I heard her keys jingle as she declared, "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

I watched as the masochistic Spirit formed, immediately handing a lantern over to Lucy and asking for punishment. Lucy shooed her away in embarrassment like always.

Capturing my attention, Lucy said, "How about you set up the camp and I'll get the firewood? It'll be a nice change of pace."

If I thought the woman was infuriating before, it was nothing on how I felt about her at that moment. Had she lost her mind? There were all kinds of dangerous creatures out in those woods and there was no way in hell I would ever let her go out there in the dark, alone. I didn't care if she had her Keys. Shit happens. "No," I said firmly, turning on my heel and stalking out of the small clearing into the darkness. I was pretty sure I could hear her curse me as I walked away, but I didn't bother looking back or return a retort of my own.

I didn't need the lantern to see due to my enhanced senses, but my eyes still weren't as strong as they could be as they scanned the area. There were plenty of trees that were already down, and the markings on them suggested that some kind of monster had felled them. ' _Well_ ,' I thought to myself, sniffing the air. ' _Whatever it was is long gone by now._ '

Using the trees that were already down, I made quick work of breaking them down into small enough pieces to use for firewood. Faster than I would have liked, the stack had grown to almost an unmanageable pile for my arms. Steeling myself, I loaded up on the wood and made my way back to the camp, Lucy's enticing scent the only guide I needed. I could feel the heavy air of the weather, and it made me worry about our sleeping conditions. After the dream I'd had that morning, I didn't think it was a good idea for us to share the tiny tent that I kept in my pack just in case. I wasn't sure if I could control myself in my sleep if it happened again. What if she found out? She would have been _disgusted_ with me.

Finally coming into the light provided by the lantern, I saw Lucy look at me, a wan smile on her face. God, she was even beautiful afrer having been walking through the forest all day. A small leaf was sticking out of her hair, but I didn't say anything because I thought it was kind of... _cute_. And there was a smudge of dirt on her cheek, matching the dirt on her legs, mostly her knees from the way she sat.

"Welcome back," she said, sounding a little off. "I have the stones set up over here." Lucy indicated to her left, where there were large stones set in a circle. I hesitated for a moment, not sure what was up with the way she was talking.

Not able to think straight as I looked at her, I finally removed my gaze from her and set to work building a fire. It was easier for me to make fires than most people because I'd had so much practice, and it was much more simple to do by myself than it was to go around stealing everyone else' fires. I liked the taste. I like the feel. I liked the power that ran through my veins. I enjoyed being a Dragon Slayer far too much.

Once the fire was roaring, the two of us moved around the site without saying much of anything, getting our meal ready to start cooking. Once there were red-hot coals forming in the bottom of the fire, Lucy placed our pot on top of it to start the stew she's put together to cooking.

At that moment, I heard the rumble of thunder off in the distance, and by the way Lucy tensed, she noticed too. Frowning, I said, "Dammit. There aren't any caves around here..."

Standing up, I grabbed my bag and began pulling out the parts to my tent. So quietly that I wasn't sure why I said it at all, I mumbled, "You can take the tent. It's really small. I can stay outside."

The air around the campsite seemed to freeze as I felt a tingle shoot down my spine.

"What the _fuck_ , Natsu?!" Lucy screeched at me.

Startled with my eyes widening, I looked around the campsite real quick in confusion before looking at her with genuinely lost eyes, " _Huh_?"

The seething girl had her hands balled into fists at her side as a look of fury graced her features. "You've been acting weird all fucking day, you've _barely_ spoken to me, and you think I'm going to just let you _sleep out in the rain_? You're acting weird as hell so spill it!"

' _Oh hell_ ," I thought frantically to myself. ' _There's no way in the universe I could ever tell her that I'm keeping my distance. She'd want to know why, and I_ _ **can't**_ _let her know about that dream. It would destroy our friendship_.'

Prepared to defend myself, I averted her question. "What? I haven't been acting weird! Oi, _you're_ the weird one! And I sure as hell ain't gonna let _you_ sleep outside in the rain!"

I saw her eye twitch as she said dangerously, "We can _both_ sleep in the tent, moron."

"But – "

"No buts!" she cut me off. "It's a small tent, I know, but we can _both_ fit in it. It might be a tight squeeze, but..."

Her word tapered off, but I couldn't help but think of how agonizing it was going to be being crammed into that tiny tent that would quickly fill with her scent and drive me crazy. On top of that, it was so small, we would _have_ to sleep close, much closer than usual. I need my mind out of the gutter, and fast.

"So since that's settled, now you can tell me why you've been acting so freaking weird all day."

Oh shit. She wasn't done. The wind was starting to pick up more, causing Lucy's scent to stir all around me, making it difficult to breathe.

"Natsu..." I heard her say much more softly. "Is this about the dream you were having this morning?"

My heart nearly jumped out of my throat as I looked up sharply at the Celestial Wizard, my eyes widening to the size of saucers, I was sure. ' _No, she couldn't_ _ **possibly**_...'

Before I could even think to respond, she continued, "Was it a nightmare? I... I heard you say my name and it sounded like... like you were in pain or something..."

' _Dear God, I was in pain alright, but something entirely different_ ,' I couldn't stop myself from thinking. I blinked several times, trying to think of what to say as I looked anywhere, _everywhere_ to avoid Lucy's gaze. Rubbing the back of my neck, I finally spluttered out, "Y... Yeah. A nightmare. About yesterday."

I could feel Lucy's body shift uncomfortably as her soft voice asked, "What happened?"

Still too much of a coward to look at her as I continued to lie, I said, "Nothing, really. My stupid brain was just replaying everything."

"Oh Natsu..." I heard her say in a heartbroken tone. I hated that sound in her voice. It almost physically pained me. "I'm _so_ sorry. I was so freaked out about myself that I didn't even _think_... I mean, you had to find all those girls like that... It must have been horrible."

' _What_?!' I freaked out in my mind, finally looking down at her where her eyes were cast downwards. _She_ was _sorry_? No, no way in _hell_! I was _not_ going to let her blame herself, and I was definitely at the bottom of the list of priorities when it came down to everything that had happened the day before. She didn't need to be sorry for _anything_! Letting one of the metal poles to the tent drop to the ground loudly, I cleared the space between me and her in a heartbeat, grabbing her and pulling her into my arms tightly.

"Natsu, what – "

"Lucy," I ground out, burying my face into her hair. "Don't ever be sorry about what happened. Yes, I cared about what happened to those girls, but the entire time I was more worried about _you_. Even though it was _your_ stupid plan, and even though I was _stupid_ enough to go along with it, I was almost having a complete meltdown looking for you. You're my best friend. My _nakama_. I will never be able handle losing you if something were to happen. When I saw you, bound and half-naked at the mercy of those _monsters_ , I was beside myself with _**rage**_. I never enjoy killing anyone _ever_ , but those bastards had to pay with their _lives_ for what they had done. Don't you ever, _ever_ pity me because of what I had to see. You were the one in the most danger. I should be comforting _you_ , not the other way around."

Lucy pulled back a bit to look at me, and I could smell the salt that was tears trying to form in her eyes. Smiling weakly, she said, "You have comforted me, Natsu. If you hadn't been with me yesterday, I don't know how I would have handled..."

Remembering the day before made me want to shudder. Walking into that room after following Lucy's scent, laced with those godforsaken tears, I quickly felt like I was going to be sick. Her, hanging above the ground by her wrists, with her top and bra torn off and cast to the side. The fear in her eyes, the absolute terror, gripped my heart like a vice. It was clear what those men had been doing, and when that one tried to make a run for it with Lucy, all I saw was _red_. It wasn't until I felt her barrel into my arms, soaking wet and still half-naked, that my vision seemed to go back to normal. I was still furious, but my stupid fucking brain couldn't help but focus on her beautiful chest. Luckily, my instincts had priorities and urged me to get the two of us out of there before we got caught by the Royal Guard. I'd made quite a huge explosion when I incinerated Winters and his men.

When I got the two of us back to the hotel room and Lucy wouldn't respond to me for several minutes, it was obvious that she was still in some kind of shock. It scared me. It scared me way more than I cared to admit. But whatever god existed smiled on me that day when she finally snapped out of it after a few minutes and went to take a shower. It made me anxious with her being in there alone, but I figured that was the protective side of me. After what had happened to my best friend, I thought it was normal.

And then I smelled her blood. Asides from her wrists, she had no injuries that I had smelled, so I knew something was wrong. Trying to remain calm, I entered the bathroom to be assaulted with the smell of Lucy's salty tears mixed with the blood. My heart clenched painfully at the smell, and even more-so at her lack of screaming at me for coming in the bathroom while she was showering.

And then I heard a sob escape her. Before I knew what I was doing, I was moving the shower door aside and sitting on the shower floor with her, careful to not look at anything as I pulled her bare back against me, letting my arms envelope her easily. I only sat there for a minute before I realized that the water was much too hot for normal people. She was practically boiling herself alive. Frowning further, I reached up and changed the temperature to something more normal before replacing my embrace on the traumatized blonde.

Once I stopped smelling her tears, I felt like I was kind of in a delicate situation, and embarrassing. Do I try to talk to her? Do I just leave and let her collect herself?

Definitely the latter. If I knew Lucy half as well as I thought I did, I knew she would want a moment to herself after crying herself out. After nudging the back of her head with my nose, subtly taking in her scent – free of the stench of those men –, I stood and exited the bathroom quickly and decided we both needed food.

When she had her nightmare that night, I could feel a part of myself break for her. She went through something _no one_ should ever have to, and it would be a while before she healed.

Fuck, and the _dream_ I'd had the _very next morning_. After _everything_ that had happened, even _I_ was thinking lecherous thoughts about her! I deserved to be six feet under for being such a horrible fucking person.

Bringing myself back to the present, I found my eyes brushing down the bandages decorating her arms and legs. Reaching out to touch one gently, I said in a thick tone, "Still... I... I don't know how it could possibly feel to go through something like that. When you were showering, I smelled your blood. I didn't... How did you manage to hurt yourself like that? Why did you have the water so damn _hot_?"

I saw a pink flush creep to her cheeks as she said hesitantly, "It's because... I needed to get the feel of those men's hands off of me. I... I scrubbed myself to the point that I was bleeding, but no matter how much I tried, I could still feel it. Feel they're _disgusting_ touch. They left bruises like crazy, and there's literally nothing I can do to make them go away except for wait. Until then, I have to look at them every day and be reminded _every day_."

I had guessed what the men had done, but hearing her say it... I was almost beyond words. Swallowing hard and allowing myself the briefest of glances to her chest, I asked, "Bruises?"

Averting her gaze, she said in a small voice, "Yeah. Like I said, they were.. pretty rough with me."

Red seemed to take over my vision again as I thought about her words, and I worried for a moment that I was going to lose it again. Using every ounce of willpower I possessed, I forced myself to focus all my energy into punching the tree next to us, trying to avoid much more damage. I barely registered the ground around us shake as the tree landed with a loud crash.

Lucy's eyes widened momentarily before she reached out quickly, grasping my hand and pulling it into her own two, running her thumb over my barely-scratched knuckles. "It's okay, Natsu. We took them down. We got those girls out. They can't hurt anyone anymore."

I looked over Lucy's face, trying to gauge what she was thinking. Not coming up with anything, I finally let a small smile tug at my lips. "Yeah, you're right." My eyes caught sight of the bandages on her arms and legs again, and I couldn't help but frustrated at the sight of them. Running my hand light down her bandaged arm, I said, "But don't ever do this again. I don't want you ever hurting yourself like this. Just promise me that you'll come to me instead. Please. Just smelling your blood makes me go crazy. I hate the idea of you being hurt."

I felt Lucy wiggle against me, releasing my hold on her, I watched as she gently smiled at me as she checked on the stew. The wind was beginning to howl, and I knew we didn't have much time before it came a downpour.

"Stew's ready. Let's hurry and eat before it starts raining."

…..

I was leaned back against a log, patting my belly after killing off the whole pot of stew once Lucy'd had her share. Off in the distance, I could see lightening wavering through the black clouds, and knew we needed to get inside the tent as soon as possible.

"The rain's starting," I said, sniffing lightly at the air. Hopping to my feet, I helped the already-cleaning-up Lucy and started gathering everything into our bags. Never one to let a meal go to waste, I leaned down quickly to the fire and began the process of inhaling the flames. In only a moment or so, I had completely extinguished the fire, which was good considering that was the exact moment the bottom dropped out, water falling from the sky in unexpected harsh droves.

I heard Lucy as she cursed, but she didn't stop picking stuff up. I could feel a lightening strike coming. "Lucy! Get inside the tent! I'll finish this!"

The rain was so loud that it pounded through my eardrums, but I could still make out Lucy yelling, "No!" she yelled over the persistent thunder. "We've almost got it all! We'll be done in just a minute with the two of us!"

"You never fucking listen!" I yelled, though I knew she couldn't hear it over the lightening strike I saw about a mile off. Shaking my head, I picked up my own pace and finished grabbing the last of our stuff. Finding Lucy, I saw her picking up her canteen as I reached out and gripped her wrist a little harder than necessary.

She smiled at me as she flashed the canteen in my face. "This is the last of it!"

Not responding, I used my grip to pull her towards the tent and shoving her in first. I followed immediately behind, making sure to secure the tent's flap. The wind was brutal, beating the side of the tent viciously, but I had made sure that the tent was secure enough to survive a tornado. In an automatic reaction to being wet, I began heating myself up, drying up the rainwater that had soaked me through. I felt a movement beside me, so I looked to see Lucy leaning towards me. She was soaked to the bone, and obviously freezing.

Feeling spontaneous, I grabbed Lucy lightly by the wrist and pulled her to me, forcing her legs to spread as she straddled my hips. Ignoring the close contact, I concentrated and let my magic flow into her, allowing my fire to burn through her as if it were her own. It took her a moment, but she seemed to notice the red glow of her skin very quickly.

"Wahh!" she cried out, trying to wriggle from my grasp. If only she knew what that did to me. Her words coming out in an almost unintelligible mess, she screeched, "No! Don'tsetmeonfireI'mnotfireprooflikeyouuuu!"

I smirked as my strength easily overpowered hers. Gently crooning in her ear, I said, "I'm not gonna set you on fire, Luce. This is something new I learned. As long as I focus and keep physical contact with you, I can spread my fire through you without hurting you. This is a much better way to dry off, don't ya think?"

She seemed to relax for a moment, letting her body meld closely to mine. She was so soft, and curvy in all the right places. Feeling her against me the way we were felt... _right_. And it _scared_ me.

Something must have startled Lucy, because out of nowhere she began struggling against me, falling back and landing on the futon with the grace of a brick. "I'm – I'm dry enough," she stuttered out. Her cheeks were red, and her breathing was almost as heavy as mine.

"Are you sure? We can't afford for you to get sick – "

"Yes, I'm sure!" she said much too loudly, much too quickly. I wanted to ask her what was up, but she seemed to have already turned her attention back to the raging storm outside.

Abandoning my words, I followed her lead, letting my attention seemingly go back to the storm that sounded like it was destroying the outside world. In reality, I couldn't get the feel of Lucy's body against mine out of my head. Her body felt like Heaven against mine, and since she had pulled away, I could feel the fire in my veins beg for her touch once more. Once Lucy announced that she was going to sleep, I let her do so alone. I was having trouble controlling my body, and I needed to let my thoughts cool down before squeezed next to her. _That_ was not a problem I wanted her to know about.

After thirty minutes of thinking about Gray stripping, the Master dancing naked in the Guild Hall, and, unfortunately, Lisanna, who was suddenly the biggest boner-killer in the world at the moment for me. Satisfied that I could cuddle up to Lucy without a _problem_ coming between us, I finally slid under the blanket next to her.

As soon as my hand touched the smooth, bare skin of her arm, I hissed out a pained groan at the feel of it.

Fuck, it was going to be a long, very much sleepless night.

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 ** _Please leave a review! I love to hear what everyone has to say!_**


	10. Chapter 10

_**I'm at 99 reviews so far and I was sooo hoping I could proudly announce 100 before I posted this chapter. However, I think I'll let it slide. Here's some action for y'all.**_

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 **Chapter 10: The Mirror Palace!**

Though I knew it had to be close to eight in the morning and the storm had passed, it was still obviously raining pretty hard outside our tent. I hadn't even opened my eyes yet, but the sound of the rain beating against the walls of the tent made it obvious.

After my (literally) heated encounter with Natsu the night before, I had only slept for maybe a couple of hours at most. To be honest, I was worried I would have another one of those inappropriate dreams, and I did _not_ want Natsu to catch me like _I'd_ caught _him_.

Oh yes. I was positive about what he'd been dreaming about the day before, but I tried my best not to think on it too hard. He was a man, after all, and he'd even seen me naked more times than I cared to admit. Any man that possessed even the slightest bit of libido would be hard put to control his thoughts under such circumstances.

' _Yeah, but he's never acted like that, even when he was with Lisanna..._ '

Shaking my head roughly, I struggled to turn around to face Natsu. We were tightly squeezed side-by-side in the tent, so I basically had to get on top of him to move around. Attempting to ease over him without disruption, I let one foot creep over him before following it with my other. Too worried about not touching Natsu, I didn't pay attention to the top of the tent and banged my head harshly on the top supporting metal pole.

"Ow!" I hissed as I dropped down. Falling forward, I felt my legs split onto either side of Natsu's warm body, plopping me down promptly onto his lap in a straddle.

My cheeks flamed up, but before I could scramble away I felt impossibly hot hands latch onto my hips, gripping me and pulling me down further. Gasping, I looked down at Natsu's face, which seemed slightly strained but still asleep. Before I could even think of what to do, Natsu's hands gripped my hips more firmly and ground his obvious excitement against my covered core as he bared his teeth with a hiss.

 _Oh dear God_. The feel of it suddenly made any rational thought disappear immediately as my body was practically set on fire. The position we were in, it was so intimate that I thought I was going to die of heart failure. A low growl deep in Natsu's chest rocked me to the core, causing me to squeak out and run away, scrabbling away from him and bursting through the tent's cover and into the mud. My heart seemed to want to try and beat out of my chest, and my body had definitely responded to his. It was the most delicious thing I had ever felt, but... _Oh my God_ , it was Natsu! The man I was in love with had just basically just done... _something_... to me... in _his_ _ **sleep**_! I wasn't sure what to call it, but it was way past the line of friendship, and my heart couldn't take that kind of closeness with Natsu when he didn't feel for me what I felt for him.

"Lucy?" I heard Natsu call sleepily from inside the tent. I finally snapped to, realizing that I was outside, on my hands and knees, in the mud, in the rain.

"U-um, yeah!" I called, hoping his sleepy tone meant he didn't know what had happened. "I'm outside!"

"But it's still rainin – " I heard him grumbling confusedly until he stuck his head outside the tent and saw me. He looked at me blankly for a moment, his eyes showing his mind trying to work everything out. "Luce, what the hell? It's too early for your weirdness."

"I – " What did I say? How did I explain? "I … Um... Fell out of the tent?"

Fuck, that was the absolute dumbest excuse I could have ever come up with. I may as well have told him I was searching for fucking unicorns as believable as it was.

Natsu's look of confusion faded slightly, but he only responded tiredly, "Well... Whatever. Let's get you cleaned up and dried off. I brought a couple of ponchos. We're really close to the palace, so I figured we could tough out a little rain."

If I wasn't actively trying to control myself, my jaw would have dropped. Did he _really_ believe me? Did he _really_ not remember the dream he'd (obviously) had? Or was he really just that great of an actor? My mind wanted to spin, but Natsu helped distract me by handing me a towel and helping me wipe off the mud.

…..

Despite what had happened earlier that morning, I had managed to calm myself down and go back into my usual traveling routine with Natsu. We talked and laughed as we pointed out weird plants and wildlife. Natsu had to cut down a couple of very angry boars, but the rest of our trip was pretty uneventful.

Strangely enough, I didn't see the Mirror Palace until we were basically on top of it. It was literally a palace made of mirrors, and the outside reflected its surroundings so it almost seemed invisible.

"Wow..." I said aloud, looking in aw at the giant structural masterpiece.

"Awesome!" Natsu said, obviously impressed as he stopped beside me, taking in the structure. He'd never been to the palace before, but I was sure his senses picked up its presence way before mine did.

Looking around, I couldn't see a door, even though we were obviously at the front of the building. "So... How do we get it?"

Natsu's grinned his usual mischievous grin and fired up his fists, pounding them together. "Looks like we'll have to bust our way in."

' _Oh God, a palace made of mirrors and Natsu's going inside. We've going to have_ _ **centuries**_ _of bad luck after this..._ '

"Um, can we please at least _look_ for an entrance first?" I asked nervously, looking around in hopes of seeing one off the bat.

"Aww, it's no fun that way," Natsu whined, his flames dispersing as his shoulder's sagged.

"Yeah, well, fun or not," I said, looking back hesitantly at the palace, "This place is supposed to be filled with monsters, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah – "

I cut him off before he could argue. "Then it's probably best that we keep it as quiet as possible. We don't know how many monsters are in there, and we don't want them all on us at the same time."

Resting his arms behind his head, Natsu said dejectedly, "Fine, we'll do it your way."

I felt myself blanch. Did he just give up without a fight? _Again_?

"O-okay... So, we'll split up and circle the place. We'll meet up at the back and go from there." It was strange to say, but I felt a sort of thrill go through me. I had hardly done anything on the mission so far, and I was actually getting restless. I wanted to actually see some action.

"Are you sure splitting up is a good idea?" Natsu asked nervously, his eyes still on the massive palace.

"Yeah," I said brightly, adjusting my keys on my hip. "Once we make it inside, we won't split up, but outside should be safe enough. Come on, let's go. I'll go right."

I bounded away, pulling my whip into my grasp just because I liked the feel of it. I heard Natsu mumble something behind me, but I didn't catch it as I took off.

The palace was over-the-top huge, and I was sure it was going to take us at least an hour to meet up at the back. I kept a close watch on the mirrored walls as I passed, making myself slightly nervous as I watched my reflection go past trees. If something suddenly emerged from those trees while I was looking through a mirror, I would have absolutely pissed myself. Gripping my whip tighter, I focused more on the seams on the mirrors, looking for anything out-of-place.

Natsu was probably faring better. His nose would be able to smell an opening, if he didn't see it first. For the first time in a while, I was actually kind of alone with my thoughts, so I let them drift to earlier that morning. Natsu hadn't said a word nor had he acted any differently after what I called "the incident," so I assumed he really didn't remember anything about it. I was more than happy to let it stay that way.

However, I couldn't ignore the thrill I felt or the aching sensation that his hot hands had sent through me.

' _One month and a half months down, four and a half months to go. How am I gonna survive this sexual frustration_?'

It seemed to take forever, but I finally reached the back of the palace where Natsu stood in a bored stance. When he saw me, his eyes lit up.

"Hey, you were right! There's an entrance over this way," Natsu said excitedly, indicating to the side of the building. Putting on a thoughtful pout, he said, "But it still would've been more fun to just smash in."

Rolling my eyes at him, I gestured for him to lead the way. The palace gave off a sinister aura, but it was nothing worse than what we had encountered before. I followed Natsu around and beside the palace for almost fifteen minutes while he excitedly told me how he found it. Once we were apparently there, Natsu stopped and indicated to two mirror panels. The almost seemed normal, but, looking hard enough, I could see that the panels were just slightly larger than the other ones.

"Good job, Natsu," I said, observing the out-of-place walls. "But, um... How do we get them to open?"

Natsu stopped dead for a moment before snapping, "Hey! You just said to find the way in! Not how to _get_ in!"

"Ugh," I said, rolling my eyes for what felt like the billionth time. Crouching down, I began searching all around the doors, looking for some kind of trigger or locking mechanism.

Natsu begrudgingly began searching with me, grumbling as he tore old foliage away from the wall. I searched for a good ten minutes before finally giving up. Standing straight, I snarled aloud and smacked my forehead against one of the panels.

' _This is hopeless_!'

"Fine, Natsu, I guess you get your w – "

I was interrupted by the cool glass touching my forehead beginning to tremble. Stepping back quickly, Natsu did the same, positioning himself beside me. Both of us watched as the two larger panels began sliding away into the surrounding walls, creating a massive opening.

"Whoa," I said breathlessly, not having expected that.

"Damn," Natsu said, eyes narrowing. "I wanted to do it the fun way."

"Yeah, well – "

"But," he continued, his expression turning into a glare as he looked into the dark opening. "You were right. I can smell the monsters in there, and there are a lot of them. They kinda smell like..." The Dragon Slayer paused for a moment, sniffing the stale air that was coming from inside the palace. "Hmm... It's like a mix of Wyvern and Vulcan and a bunch of other things. Weird."

Putting on a brave face, I clenched my whip in my hand and placed my other on my keys. "Well, it looks dark in there so flame on so we can get this over with."

Natsu looked at me, obvious concern in his eyes. He stared at me for a moment before steeling himself. Nodding, he said, "Let's do this."

Outstretching a hand, he conjured a ball of flames and began leading the way inside. Before we even crossed the threshold, Natsu stopped, placing his unlit hand on my shoulder.

"Luce, this is gonna be a little harder than we thought."

I gave him a confounded look before peering around him, looking inside. Natsu's dancing flames bounced everywhere, lighting the hallway magnificently... Because the hallway was made of nothing but mirrors also.

It was exactly like that room in the Fun House. There were nothing but mirrors reflecting Natsu's light and each other, making the hall look like it split into millions of halls.

"Hold on to my hand," Natsu said, his body tense. "We could easily get separated in a place like this."

For once, _I_ had no arguments and immediately grabbed his outstretched hand. It was just a stupid hallway but it was intimidating to look at. Natsu started forward, dragging me by the hand as we passed by panel after panel. The only good thing I could say was the mirrors enhanced Natsu's fire and made it much easier to see. We walked for about five minutes, careful to avoid any possible booby traps, before we finally came to a crossroads of sorts. We could go either left, right, or straight.

Before I could even open my mouth to say anything, Natsu said in a quiet, dangerous tone, "We're not splitting up. We _can't_. It'll be too easy to completely lose each other in here. Let's just go forward. I have a feeling we're not gonna be alone for very long."

His Dragon Senses must have been tingling, because he wore his look of pure determination, and his grip on my hand only became stronger. Giving me a slight tug, I got the message and followed as he led us forward. It was deathly quiet, and the only sounds were the sounds of our footsteps as we walked for what seemed like forever. I avoided looking at the mirrored walls and focused on the ground. The Mirror Palace was beyond creepy.

"I see something," Natsu said suddenly, stopping us in our tracks. Jerking my head up and forward, I could see what he meant. It was very faint, but there was an obvious light a little ways more down the hallway. Silently beckoning me to follow him, we approached the light with caution. Once we reached it, we realized that it came from the inside of a room. It was large, about the size of the Guild Hall. It, too, was decorated with mirrors, but there were several that were broken. Above, I could see a single light lacrima.

However, I could hardly even register all of that. Because in the center of the room were two sleeping... _monsters_. They were unlike anything I had encountered before. Their faces were shaped and looked exactly like a lizard's, except, instead of scales, they were covered in black fur. Their bodies were elongated, ending with a tail. The weirdest thing about them was that, where their legs and tails met their bodies, their skin transitioned from black fur into blue scales. Their feet were adorned with large, very sharp looking talons.

"Holy _fuck_ ," Natsu hissed quietly. "Tombhounds."

" _Tombhounds_?" I asked incredulously, trying to keep my voice as quiet as possible. "You've come across these before?!"

"No," he said quietly, not taking his eyes off the sleeping creatures. "They're supposed to be some imaginary monster that parents threaten their kids with if they're bad. They're not supposed to actually fucking _exist_!"

"I've never heard of them," I whispered, gripping my whip tighter as I took in their terrifying forms. "What do you know about them?"

" _I don't know_ ," he hissed. "I've only heard what they looked like when Igneel tried to threaten me with them. He only did it once though, cause I told him I'd just beat them up. But they look exactly as he described."

"Nooo..." I whined softly. "Of _course_ we'd encounter something like this..."

"Shh..." Natsu said quickly, shutting me up. "The large one is waking up. I think he's smelling us."

" _Then what the fuck do we do?_ " I said through clenched teeth.

Natsu took in the monsters for a moment or two, observing them critically. "I think we're gonna have to wing it. That's the Alpha male, the one that is almost three times the size of his mate next to him. I'll go after him, you try and hold off his mate."

"Wait, how do you know they're mates?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Tapping his nose, he said, "I'm a Dragon Slayer. I can smell if other creatures like us who mate for life are mated. Their scents become the exact same."

"Dragon Slayer's _mate_ for _life_?!" I nearly screeched. Just after those words escaped my lips, I heard movement from the room. Looking up in horror, I noticed the larger one, the male apparently, was starting to tiredly get to its feet. The creature paused mid-yawn as his eyes landed on me and Natsu in the doorway.

"Go time," I heard Natsu say with a smile, not bothering to keep his voice down anymore.

A deafening roar escaped the Tombhounds jowls, waking up his apparent mate and putting her on guard. True to his word, Natsu leapt forward, fists blazing as he attacked the larger monster. Turning my attention to the mate, I could see she was about to jump in to protect the male, but I stopped her.

"Hey!" I yelled, grabbing her attention by cracking my whip at her. She was about the size of a Vulcan, maybe a little smaller. I could take her.

The Tombhound roared at me as she charged forward, her unbelievably sharp claws causing sparks with each step on the concrete floor. Not having enough time to call a Spirit yet, I slung out my whip, using it to wrap around her two front legs. I was almost pleased with myself until she didn't collapse as I had intended. Instead, she reared up on her hind legs and used her incredibly sharp teeth to snap through my whip as if it were made of paper. Landing roughly and on all fours once more, she charged at me again, whipping her scaly tail around at me. It caught me in the stomach, launching me several feet away and into a wall. Broken mirror showered me, but I ignored the crimson that began bleeding through my shirt and dragged myself to my feet.

Hearing a loud crash, I looked over to see Natsu in the middle of an attack. However, the Tombhound he was engaging wasn't paying attention to him. Its eyes were trained on me, its nostrils flaring.

' _Is it reacting to the smell of my blood_?'

I didn't have much time to mull it over, because the female was once again swiftly charging at me.

"Shit!" I cursed as I yanked a key from my belt quickly. Swishing it through the air, I said, "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

A half-second later, the large bull-form of Taurus stood beside me, ax at the ready. He looked at me and drooled a little. "My, Loocy, you look absolutely stunning today!"  
"SHUT UP YOU PERVERT! I need you take take this seriously!"

"Way to set the mooood, Beautiful," he said adoringly, winking at me before turning to charge the Hound. Raising his ax, he approached the creature. "How dare you harm Miss. Loooocy!?"

With a powerful swing, Taurus brought down his ax and hit his target. Inwardly jumping for joy, I watched as the Hound was knocked back and into a wall, shattering several mirrors. However, she didn't stay down long. Shaking the broken glass from her fur, she charged at Taurus once more, her teeth bared. Once she was within reach, Taurus brought down his ax once more, but the creature was obviously somewhat intelligent. Instead of being struck by the blow, she rolled over and used her talons to swipe at Taurus. Her hit was dead on, striking him in the side. Taurus cried out, dropping his weapon.

"Taurus! No!" I screamed out.

"Sorry, Miss. Loooocy. I failed you again." And with that, Taurus disappeared into his cloud. Not hesitating, I yanked another key from my belt and swished it in front of me. "Open! Gate of Archer! Sagittarius!"

Once more, a faithful Spirit formed by my side. "Moshi moshi, Princess."

Pointing towards the oncoming monster, I yelled, "Aim for her legs!"

"As you command, Princess." The man dressed in the horse suit took on his usual stoic look at he aim his magical arrows at the creature, which was getting much closer. After allowing a few arrows to fly, two of them finally hit their marks, one going through the Hound's right back leg, and the other nailing her front left. She howled in pain, tumbling to the ground and rolling, stopping just a few feet away.

I hurried and pulled out a small sleep lacrima, tossing it onto the creature. Her body immediately ceased struggling and whining as she was knocked out cold. Before I could even turn to check on Natsu, he was suddenly in front of me, and all was quiet. We'd won the battle.

"I will take my leave now," Sagittarius said, bowing before disappearing into his cloud.

Letting out a huge sigh, I slumped to the floor, holding my head.

Natsu leaned down, grabbing my chin to look up at him. "Hey, you okay?"

Still breathing heavily, I smiled. "Yeah. Just wasn't expecting that, ya know?" A sharp pain from my abdomen had me wince. Looking down, I could see the ugly gash the Hound's tail had left.

"Ah, shit, you're hurt," Natsu said worriedly, immediately trying to move my hands so he could take a look.

Smacking him away, I said sharply, "It's fine, Natsu! Just a scratch. You don't see me freaking out about your shoulder bleeding."

"Huh?" he said dumbly, looking down at his shoulder. There was, indeed, a small gash that was bleeding from where the Tombhound had almost taken a bite out of him.

"Idiot," I muttered, standing up shakily. "Don't worry about me. Let's just find the next riddle so we can get out of here. I don't want to fight any more of those things if I don't have to."

Natsu still looked at me with a worried gaze, but he relented and began searching the dilapidated room with me. We searched for ten minutes before giving up.

"Guess this isn't the right room," I pouted. "Of _course_ it wouldn't be that easy..."

"Well, let's go," Natsu said in a bored tone, indicating to a door on the opposite end of the chamber. "If we have to fight more of those things, then so be it. The one I fought couldn't even keep his attention on me. This oughtta be easy."

Shrugging my shoulders, I followed behind Natsu through the doorway, which led to yet _another_ hall of mirrors.

"Jesus, _fuck_ ," I said, looking around as Natsu lit his hand for light. "What was the obsession with mirrors?"

"Eh?" Natsu said, keeping his eyes straightforward. Offering out his hand to me, I took it and let him pull me along. "The legend of the old Mirror Palace was that the Ruler that lived here was extremely into himself, so he had the palace made from mirrors so he could look at himself at all times. Weirdo."

"Wow," I said, looking at Natsu. "The guy was so narcissistic he built an entire palace from mirrors? What a creep."

"Yeah, well, we've encountered weirder stuff before," he said nonchalantly.

"True," was all I could respond with. I had suddenly found myself staring deeply at Natsu's face as he continued to look forward. The dance of the firelight suited him, and as much as I wanted to deny it, it also made him look incredibly sexy.

I let my thoughts run rampant as we continued our trek for half an hour. Before my thoughts could become too spicy, however, Natsu spotted another light.

"Let's go!" he whispered, yanking a little harder on my hand than necessary as we quietly ran towards the light. When we finally reached it, it was exactly like the last one... Except there were maybe fifty Tombhounds this time. Some were snoozing in different areas of the larger chamber, some were gnawing on something that I did _not_ want to know what it was, and the others were either fighting or just lazing about.

"Holy shit," I breathed, feeling my heart clenching in my chest. "Natsu, we can't take on this many!"

Natsu's face, however, held little worry. "We'll be fine. None of these guys compare to the Alpha. Now, let's do this." He said with a wicked smile.

* * *

 ** _Please leave a review! I would love to hit the 199 mark (lol). Thanks for reading!_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Sorry that this is a short chapter, but I wanted to try something new. If any of my readers happen to be Pokemon fans, I have a special contest going right now! If you own Pokemon X, Y, Alpha Sapphire, or Omega Ruby, I have a shiny Mythical Darkrai code with someone's name on it! All you have to do is leave a review and add at the end "Darkrai Contest", and you'll be entered to win! I will be using a random generator to choose the winner, who will be notified by PM (no anon guests can win, sorry) no later than 12P.M. (C.S.T.) on Sunday, May 8! The winner will then be given 24 hours to respond. If I don't receive a response, then a new winner will be chosen! Good luck, everyone!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 11: The Tombhounds – Part I**

 _"Holy shit," I breathed, feeling my heart clenching in my chest. "Natsu, we can't take on this many!"_

 _Natsu's face, however, held little worry. "We'll be fine. None of these guys compare to the Alpha. Now, let's do this." He said with a wicked smile._

…..

"No way in Hell!" I hissed, not taking my eyes away from the swarm of Tombhounds in the room. "We need a plan!"

Natsu grimaced, looking at me. He gave me a speculative gaze before finally saying, "Okay. Fine. Here's what we'll do. See that other door over there?"

He indicated across the room quietly, where there was indeed another door. Nodding, I swallowed hard.

"Okay, I'm gonna lead as many as I can from the room using that door. You're gonna need to go all out with your Spirits for whatever ones are leftover. Once I have my share put to the ground, I'll come back. Sound good?"

I wanted to groan, and very loudly, but I knew it was the best we could come up with on short notice. Giving a shaky nod, Natsu gave me a bright smile. "Don't be so nervous, partner. If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't ask you to."

At that, I felt some of my tension ease. Smiling slightly, I put my hand on my keys, ready to go. My only regret was that my whip had been destroyed and I wasn't sure how many Virgo had to just hand out. Well, knowing that masochist, she probably had a few...

"Okay, go!"  
I snapped away from my thoughts as Natsu began the rumble, rushing the room with a powerful Fire Dragon's Roar. His surprise attack worked shockingly well, nailing at least a dozen of the monsters, incapacitating at least half of them. In an instant, all of the Tombhounds were on their feet, howling and rushing the Slayer. I stood back and watched as he cut through several of them, making his way for the opposite door.

So far, his plan was working well. Almost all of the Hounds were chasing after Natsu, but I knew I couldn't let them all go. Once about half of them were through the door and after Natsu, I jumped out and yelled at the remaining monsters. At least a couple dozen stopped to turn and look at me. When they realized there was another intruder, they did as we had anticipated and began charging me instead.

Yanking out a key, I yelled, "Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!" The swirling golden magic appeared quickly, showing Loke next to me in battle stance. Before I could even give instructions, he cut me off.

"Don't waste your magic on me! I'll use my own! Save yours to summon two more Spirits!"

Nodding decisively, I pulled another key. "Open! Gate of Maiden! Virgo!"

Virgo was suddenly at my side as well. "Shall I begin drilling holes, Princess?"  
"Dig all you want!" I said, focusing on how close the Hounds were getting. Loke had already jumped into the fray, leaping over and around the beasts, blasting them with his magic. I knew what needed to be done next, which was the hard part. I had gotten the hang of summoning more than one Spirit at a time, but it still drained my magic quickly. Yanking off one more key, I swished it through the air, "Open! Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!"

"Alright, let's do this!" came Scorpio's wild voice as he appeared. Wasting no time, he jumped into the fray, blasting every creature that came near. Suddenly, I was very nervous.

I had three Spirits out, but now that they were fighting, I was basically useless on the sidelines without my whip.

"Aww," I groaned to myself. "What was the point of training so hard with it if it gets taken away from me at the first chance of seeing battle?"

I felt the ground rumble beneath me, and suddenly Virgo burst through, bowing as she held out a red leather looking whip. "Princess said she needed a whip? I have plenty to choose from. This one specializes in nullification – "

"Thanks!" I said gleefully, taking it and giving it a crack. "Now get back to your pitfalls. I'm gonna help the others!"

"Of course, Princess," Virgo said, bowing before digging out of sight.

Running to the left side of the room where Loke was dancing around five Hounds, I lashed out my whip and snagged one around the neck. Loke took that as his cue and brought a fist slamming down into the creature's head. It let out a whine before collapsing to the ground.

As I worked in tandem with Loke, he did his usual 'not-the-best-time-for-talking' banter with me. "Wow, Lucy! I can't believe you found where the Tombhounds went into hiding!"

"Wait," I said, slashing my weapon around and tripping another Hound. "So you knew that these really _do_ exist?"

"Regulus Impact!" A bright golden light filtered through the room as Loke's widespread attack took three of the Tombhounds down. "Yeah! I'm a Spirit, remember? I've been around since _before_ these creatures came into existence _and_ when they disappeared!"

Sweat was beginning to form on my brow. The power it took to keep two Spirits outside their Gates was a lot, but we were faring much better since Leo was using his own magic.

Just as I was about to lash out at another Hound, it suddenly disappeared as the ground below it collapsed. From beneath, Virgo popped up, her vacant eyes focused on the battle. I watched as she dropped down through the hole once more, knocking the fallen creature unconscious.

"Good going, Virgo!"

"Son of a – "

"Scorpio!"

When I looked at Scorpio, he was cornered by at least a half dozen Hounds. While he sand-blasted one, another took the opportunity to leap at him. Doing the only thing I could, I swished his key and dispersed him before he could get hurt.

"Nice save!" Loke called out. "Do you have enough power to summon another?"

"N-no," I said, mildly panicking. There wasn't any water in the place to summon Aquarius, who would have had the power to knock them all back with one go. But even if there was water, I didn't have the strength. By that point, we were down to maybe ten Hounds that were still fit to fight, but my magic couldn't sustain any longer. "Virgo! Go back!"

"Yes, Princess," I heard her call before I felt her return. "Loke, we gotta make a run for it!"

"On it, Princess!" he yelled, taking my lead as we both ran for the exit. The door and hall were just big enough to fit the Hounds, so they followed us swiftly, snarling and roaring. I couldn't see in the darkened hall, but Loke summoned a light to his fist as we sprinted the way Natsu and I came. The Hounds were hot on our heels when we burst into the room where we had defeated the Alpha and its mate, only neither creatures were there.

"Oh shit!" I yelled, leaping over column debris. "There were supposed to be two in here! Where the fuck'd they go?!"

"Now's not the time, Lucy!" Loke yelled, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me off to the side right as one of the Hounds almost snapped a chunk from my arm. He dragged my along to the other exit, pulling us into the first hallway while going as fast as we could manage. When we reached the crossroads from earlier, Loke took the lead and yanked me to the right with him, rather than go straight for the exit. I was almost disappointed, but I knew Natsu was still somewhere inside the building and we hadn't found the next riddle yet.

As we ran, Loke threw one arm back and sent a large blast behind us, nailing the Hound that was in the lead and causing it to tumble and roll. The others behind it didn't seem to care as they all leapt over their comrade's body and continued their pursuit. Up ahead, I could see another light, and it was obviously another room. My only hope was that it didn't have _more_ of those godforsaken Hounds in it. Either way, Loke and I took our chances, running into the room and not stopping.

That is, until we saw Natsu there. He was in the middle of toying with a single Tombhound, dodging its attacks gracefully at landing light punches to its soft underside. He wasn't even using his fire magic. He was just screwing around!

"Natsu!" I screamed at him, turning quickly to lash my whip at the closest Hound that had been chasing me and Loke. "Stop messing around and help us! The Alpha and its mate are gone!"

Natsu turned his attention to me and Loke, noticing the nine Hounds that were still on us. Going back to his opponent, he rushed forward. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"

With that move, Natsu had put down his toy and rushed over to where the nine Hounds were encircling Loke and me. When Loke noticed, he called out, "Lion's Brilliance!"

When he said that, I knew to cover my eyes as his blinding light became so intense that even the ground shook beneath us. Though I still couldn't see, I heard Natsu taking his opportunity. "Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"

"Regulus Impact!"

Everything around us shook and trembled as the mirrored walls and ceilings shattered, raining broken glass everywhere. I still couldn't see, but the quiet that followed only assured me. Natsu and Leo's joint attack had taken down the rest of the Hounds.

Once the white spots behind my eyelids faded, I finally opened them to see Natsu and Loke standing there, both a little roughed up but no worse for wear. And better yet, there were no more Hounds.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I smiled at Loke. "Thank you so much. I would have been a goner without you. I don't think I could ever repay you for saving my ass back there."

"Well, my dear Princess, there's always one thing – "

"NOT THAT!"

There was a smacking sound as my foot made contact with Loke's jaw, sending him flying. I heard him say, "Beautiful," before disappearing into his cloud as well.

"Hey, Luce, are you okay?" Natsu asked, running up to me as I slumped back against a wall.

"Yeah," I huffed, still trying to catch my breath. "Just exhausted myself. Need a minute."

"Okay," the Slayer responded, slumping down one of the few unbroken walls to sit next to me. Closing his eyes and leaning his head back, he said, "I'm sorry."

Looking at the man curiously, I asked, "For what?"

Not opening his eyes, he responded, "I thought a lot more would follow me. I shouldn't have left you alone to deal with so many by yourself."

"I managed," I said quietly, wincing as I picked a piece of mirror out of my arm. When I looked, I noticed that there were several places on my that had small bits of glass embedded, but I didn't have time to focus on them. I'd deal with them once we were done with the stupid palace. "But, like I said. Loke and I passed through the Alpha's room and both he and his mate were gone. I don't have a good feeling about it."

Opening his eyes, Natsu looked at me. "You're right. Let's search this room and the large den, then we'll go looking for them. They can't have gotten far."

* * *

 _ **As I said, leave a review and end it with "Darkrai Contest" if you wish to enter the drawing! Good luck!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**First of all, congratulations to Kyubi Sama for winning the Darkrai contest. Way to go!**_

 _ **Anyways, I hope y'all like the tiny bit of feel-goodsies I placed in the chapter before the big show-down! I think there may be**_ ** _much more fluff coming in the next chapter... ;)_**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: The Tombhounds – Part II**

I had Loke disperse to conserve his magic in case I needed him again. In the meantime, I needed to take a breather, and the Dragon Slayer's face said so as well.

Once Natsu and I had rested for a few moments, we gathered ourselves and began our backtrack to search the rooms that we knew were clear. Honestly, we would have been completely lost in the halls of mirrors if it weren't for Natsu's nose.

Once we exited the very first room we encountered, Natsu muttered, "I can smell where you and Loke came through here. This is the way to the outside."

I nodded, confirming his thoughts. "We hoped to find you. We went right at the crossway."

Natsu looked at me, a scuff on his face illuminated by his fire as we kept walking. "There were no other rooms that I saw. I guess the only way left to go is... left."

I sighed as I nodded. It was clear – there was nowhere else the rest of the monsters (or the riddle) could be. The air thickened with tension when we knew we were going into a possibly atrocious fight. Natsu didn't let go of my hand, and his grip kept alternating with the expressions on his face. He looked almost worried, but determination was warring with him. Giving his hand a slight tug, he looked at me. When his eyes locked with mine, I smiled brightly.

"Hey, look at it this way – we're almost done! There's nowhere else for the riddle to be, and we're almost there. An hour tops and we'll be on our way to destination three of five." I smiled again, letting a small laugh escape me. I guess I was having some kind of adrenaline rush, because I felt kind of giddy just looking at the handsome man. "We might finish this job early if we keep this up!"

At that, Natsu's face seemed to relax some, his lips curving upwards fondly. "You're right. Though, I gotta say, this has probably been my favorite job so far. It's been... peaceful, almost."

Eyes widening, I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure _peaceful_ is the right word? Between the Phoenix Riders, an underground sex trafficking ring, and now loads of _Tombhounds_ , you think it's been _peaceful_?"

My words didn't seem to faze him as he maintained his smile at me. "Well, yeah. With it just the two of us, our time in-between fighting has been pretty awesome. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with Happy, but sometimes... He can be an annoying little runt. And I enjoy being with my partner. You're so... Lucy."

Natsu and I finally came upon the intersection and made a left, even though it made me want to tremble. Trying to ignore the sense of foreboding, I asked with a slight stutter, "Wh-what does that mean?"

Grinning more widely, he said, "You're just... _you_. You're weird, but in a good way. I have fun being around you, even though you kick me sometimes. I don't worry about stuff so much when I'm with you."

I was sure Natsu didn't know what kind of impact his words would have, but my mind was screaming at me. That kind of declaration could have meant anything. He was my best friend, so of _course_ he should at least kind of enjoy my company. Averting my eyes from his suddenly burning gaze, I looked ahead, waiting for a sign of what was coming. "I... I feel the same with you, Natsu."

He didn't say anything, and I couldn't bare to look at him to see his reaction. Maybe he hadn't meant it like that? I was so confused that I just pushed it from my mind, focusing on the possible upcoming battle.

The two of us walked for nearly five minutes in silence before the hallway seemed to start going at a downward incline. I looked confusedly at Natsu, but he only shrugged his shoulders and tightened his grip on my hand. The incline didn't stop for nearly forty-five minutes until we finally saw a light ahead. I couldn't suppress the shiver that went through me, knowing that anything could happen.

"Lucy," Natsu said quietly as we approached the light. "If things get out of hand, just get out. You remember the way to the exit, right?"

I nodded, but instead of agreeing with him, I said with resolve. "I won't be going through that exit without you, though. No matter what, I'm staying to fight."

I heard a low rumble come from deep in Natsu's chest, making his displeasure quite clear, but I ignored him as we advanced towards the light. It got brighter and brighter the closer we moved to it, and we could see that it came from inside a large, open chamber.

Though we did our best to keep our presence unknown, it was apparently impossible as a vicious roar ripped through the air, rattling all of the mirrors and shaking the floor.

' _Ugh, so much for sneaking up. Oh well, two out of three surprise attacks worked at least._ '

"That's the Alpha," Natsu exclaimed, baring his teeth as we began rushing towards the chamber, finally releasing each others' hand. Natsu made it there only moments before I did and stopped, looking into the massive room. I caught up with him a few seconds later, the sloped floor making running a bit more difficult, and froze as I looked at what my partner was seeing.

" _Fuck_!" Natsu hissed as I trembled slightly.

Standing before us, maybe a hundred feet away, was the injured Alpha and its mate. That's not what had us worried, however. Behind them was another Tombhound, except this one... Well, it made the supposed Alpha seem like a toddler.

"What the _fuck_ , Natsu?!" I freaked out as the monstrosity took in our sudden appearance, its features making it glaringly obvious that it... was... _pissed_. "If the Alpha is what we took on earlier, then what the hell is _that_?"

Natsu flamed up beside me, getting himself ready though he was still clearly as shocked as me. Through gritted teeth, he hissed, "There are very few species that have one, and they're always way more powerful than the Alpha. The Omega."

Holy Hell. That basically translated to... "An End-Bringer? You mean that it wasn't enough for these things to have an Alpha _that_ fucking huge, but they also have another, _bigger_ one _designed_ to bring an end to their fights?"

"Luce, run while you still can," Natsu said dangerously, his flames swirling around him and licking at the air.

"No way!" I said immediately, even if I did kinda want to run away. But I was no coward. "The Alpha's mate is still too injured to fight. I'll handle the Alpha while you go piss off Fuzzy Godzilla."

I didn't even wait for Natsu's approval before I took off running towards the furious Alpha. His mate was several yards behind him still asleep from my lacrima. Not giving the Alpha a chance to comprehend that I was attacking it, I slung out my whip and wrapped it tightly around the massive creature's neck.

He let out a deafening roar when he realized what was going on and swung his body to the right, trying to shake me. I had been counting on that, luckily. Using its swing as leverage to wrap my whip around its neck once more, I let the momentum sweep me up to land neatly on the creature's back. As soon as it felt my weight on it, the Alpha immediately reared back, trying to buck me off of him.

It was hard to keep my hold on my whip as the monster ruthlessly slung me around wildly. As I struggled to maintain my grip, another roar that was loud enough to make my ears bleed rang out through the massive chamber. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed to not let go of my whip to cover my ears.

Looking over, I could see that Natsu had already engaged the Omega. The sight of it made me want to scream since the dragon-sized Tombhound looked like it could just swat Natsu off of it like a fly. Unfortunately, my concern for my comrade caused me to lose my focus. The Alpha had gotten closer to the wall and flung itself around, ramming me into the mirrors and dragging me across them roughly, shattering the panels as it did so. My clothes took the brunt of the attack, tearing and shredding against the sharp edges of broken glass.

Using my weapon to swing myself onto the creature's back once more, I realized I needed a good tactic to get the Alpha on the ground without killing it. No matter how much the monsters wanted us dead, it wouldn't have been fair to murder them when _we_ were the ones that came into their territory.

' _A pitfall. That's the only thing I can do without killing it._ '

Though I had just used Virgo in the fight against the smaller Tombhounds, I was sure she wouldn't mind coming back for a bit. After spending nearly an hour without any of my Spirits out, my magic was almost back to peak condition so I didn't hesitate.

Gripping my whip tightly in one hand as the Hound continued to thrash about, I used my other hand to yank off the golden key. "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

I barely had time to put my key away and use both hands to steady myself on the thrashing creature as Virgo formed.

"Virgo!" I called desperately. I needed to get the Alpha out of the way as soon as possible so I could help Natsu. The Alpha was giving me so much trouble that I couldn't even tell what was going on with the Omega. "I need a pitfall big enough for this guy! Think you can handle it?"

Virgo called back, "Easily done, Princess! Will I get my punishment then?"

If I hadn't been so intent on not letting the Alpha throw me off, I would have rolled my eyes. Instead, irritation got the better of me. "I PROMISE I'LL PUNISH YOU IF YOU JUST DO WHAT I ASKED THIS INSTANT!"

Virgo looked like she would pass out from happiness as she cried out, "Anything for you, Princess!" while drilling herself away into the ground.

' _Okay. Now I just gotta keep this big guy occupied long enough to let Virgo do her job –_ '

"It's ready, Princess!" I heard Virgo call out once more.

Looking around, completely astounded, I almost gasped at the huge pit Virgo had made in only seconds.

' _Looks like I might have to start actually punishing her if that's all it takes for her to go warp speed._ '

"Wow, Virgo! That's great!" I exclaimed, tightening my hold on the red leather whip.

"Does this mean I can be punished now?" Virgo asked politely, seemingly completely ignoring the two Tombhounds in the room that were out for our blood.

"Later! Later!" I cried out, dispersing her as the Alpha seemed to throw another fit. Bouncing around in circles, he didn't hesitate to roughly slam himself into the walls, trying to crush me. I held on as tight as I could but when I saw that the monster was about to actually succeed in crushing me, I released my whip's hold around its neck and let myself drop to the ground. I landed on a pile of stone rubble, groaning out loud at my bruised tail-bone.

Unfortunately for me, though, I wasn't given time to recover as the Alpha finally had access to me with its teeth and claws. Eyeing his long tail warily, I told myself to keep an eye out for it, too. The female's tail had left a nasty gash, just short of needing stitches. I could only imagine what the Alpha's could do to me. Roaring in victory, the Alpha Tombhound swooped down on me, his jaw open and ready to take a snap at me.

I made a small squealing sound as I rolled over and toppled down the pile of stone rubble to avoid becoming lunch. The Alpha's jaw snapped closed right as the rest of my flesh was out of its range, but it still managed to snare what remained of my shirt. With the assistance of gravity and the Alpha's deadly teeth, the tattered remains of (yet another) one of my favorite shirts was destroyed as it ripped away from my body completely and let me tumble away.

I landed harshly at the bottom of the rubble pile, my cheeks blood red as I knew that I had to finish the battle... in only a bra and skirt.

' _Who needs their dignity, anyway_? _At least I'm wearing a bra this time._ '

Scrabbling to my feet as the Hound reared back, I cracked my whip at it. The sound had the intended effect, causing the beast to pause to look at me.

"You want me? Come and get me!" I yelled at it, turning on my heel and dashing towards Virgo's pit. I was out of breath but still pretty proud of myself. I had been holding my own against the Alpha very well with minimal assistance from my Spirits. It gave me a boost of confidence that I hadn't felt in a very long time.

I listened as the Alpha behind me roared, the ground beneath me shaking in indication of its pursuit. I closed in on the hole, slowing down enough that I could stop at its edge without falling in. Turning, I faced the enraged Alpha Tombhound as it barreled towards me.

Once it was only a dozen or so feet away, I tensed, waiting until right before it lunged its head to try and take my chance. I saw the telltale rear of its head once it was almost on top of me, so I knew it was my only opportunity. Ducking down, I propelled myself under the beast, rolling between its legs and landing in a crouch. Turning my head quickly, I watched the look of terror on the Tombhound's face as it realized it had missed and was suddenly going over the edge into a deep pit. The Alpha let out a roar that was more of a cry as it disappeared over the edge. I was already celebrating on the inside, smiling as I tried to turn my attention to Natsu's fight.

Even though I had told myself to be wary of the Alpha's tail, it still never crossed my mind once during our combat. Until that moment.

Part of the tail that had yet to go over the edge whipped around and wrapped itself around my midsection, suddenly pulling me from my feet. A scream ripped from my throat as I felt myself get squeezed even tighter by the appendage while I was suddenly dragged into the pit as well. Natsu and the Omega disappeared quickly from my sight as I went over, and I did the only thing I could think of.

Slinging my whip out, I struck it at the light lacrima I could see on the ceiling. Luck was on my side as I successfully secured a lifeline, but that joy was short-lived. However, before I could even begin to panic that the weight of the Alpha was going to drag me down, I heard a voice below me.

"Wrong mooove, pal!"

I watched below me as Taurus appeared, leaping full charge across the expanse of the hole and swinging his ax. The weapon made contact with the blue scales of the Alpha's tail, slicing through them easily and severing the thing entirely.

I listened to the cry of the Alpha as it hit the bottom of the pit while Taurus jumped from wall to wall twice, escaping Virgo's trap.

"Taurus!" I exclaimed loudly, swinging myself around and landing on the ground next to him. His side was still badly damaged from earlier.

"Looocy," Taurus said, already fading back to the Celestial World.

"Taurus, thank you!" I exclaimed, trying to hug his disappearing form.

"Worth it. Nice booooobs..."

And with that, he was completely gone, back to his own world where he could heal. And with his last statement, not a moment too soon!

' _Perverted cow saves my life and endangers his own just because he can basically see my boobs. Of course. Why wouldn't he_?'

"Hello again, Princess."

' _And the day just KEEPS GETTING BETTER!_ '

"Loke, I handled it. You don't have to be here."

Glaring behind me at the Lion Spirit, it wasn't hard to see that he was enjoying his view.

"AND STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT YOU FUCKING PERVERT!"

Loke smirked, drawing his eyes back up to mine as he cleared his throat. "Yes. As much as I would love to hear how you got like _this_ – and trust me, I _will_ get you to tell me later – I didn't come to assist with the Alpha or ogle you. We need to help Natsu with Omega."

Glaring at the Spirit, I spat, "Oh yeah, and that's _another_ thing! You couldn't mention that they _had_ Omegas?!"

Loke smirked at me again, indicating for me to follow him over to where Natsu was fighting. "I forgot. My apologies, Princess."

"Whatever."

From that point, I focused in on Natsu's battle with the Omega as I ran at Loke's side towards the two. Natsu looked like he'd seen much better days, but he was still on his feet and giving it everything he had. The Omega didn't look much better, but the creature was so large that Natsu's attacks only seemed to do localized damage. Natsu's chest was heaving as he panted, his vest in ruins and blood seeping from his chest.

We were still too far away, so I could only watch as the Omega slashed its tail around, catching Natsu in the side and sending him flying a few feet. When he landed, it seemed to daze him, and I couldn't help but feel a piercing dread course through me when the Omega made a quick dash towards my disoriented friend. Absolute panic and terror coursed through me, and I knew that I had to save my him somehow.

I didn't even slow my pace as I snatched a large, jagged piece of mirror from the ground.

' _Please don't be a fluke. Please don't be a fluke. Please..._ '

I kept chanting that to myself as I brought the shard to my palm, swiping it as fast as I could against the soft flesh. I barely even felt the pain as I was too occupied by the Omega's reaction. My hand began immediately blossoming blood, and by the looks of it, my plan was successful. The Omega stopped in its tracks, its eyes dilating as it sniffed the air.

"Lucy, what are you doing?!" Loke cried out as we both stopped running. The Omega sniffed the air once more and turned its hungry gaze to me.

"Don't worry about me!" I said as I took off in another direction. The Omega would probably start charging me soon. "Go help Natsu! I'll keep the Omega busy!"

Loke hesitated, obviously not liking my orders but taking them anyways. "Don't get yourself killed, Lucy!" With that, Loke began running in Natsu's direction.

The Omega seemed to snap out of whatever spell the smell of my blood had him under and suddenly let out another vicious roar. Wasting no more time, the giant began crashing towards me, snarling as it crushed the rubble beneath each step into dust. He was advancing on me quickly, which left me with very little time to form a plan.

Then I suddenly had one.

' _Well, if it worked for the Alpha..._ '

Skidding to a stop, I turned and pulled out my whip once more, giving it a good crack. I let the monstrosity come a little closer before I slung my whip out and wrapped it around the Omega's neck.

' _Got him!_ '

Only, I really hadn't.

The Omega jerked his head just the once, sending me flying with my whip. My grip wasn't as strong as I'd hoped it would be and my other hand was injured, so when I tried to mount the beast my hold faltered. I screamed as I felt my whip slip from my fingers, and I was suddenly flying through the air. Bracing myself, I let out a sharp cry when I crashed into the wall of mirrors and smashed my way to the ground.

I felt like I must have been getting stronger, because an impact like that would usually put me out. At the moment, I wished it had. The pain was intense, and there was more blood seeping from me which only riled up the Omega more. I watched as the creature reached me, its hackles raised as it prepared to probably eat me.

' _Not cool_.'

"Regulus Impact!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A light, much too bright, was created in the chamber. Covering my eyes, I listened as a crushing wail came from the Omega. I heard explosions, and then nearly had a heart attack when I felt the ground beneath me quake with enough force to knock me over from my propped position.

Soon, the light died down, and my eyes adjusted to the room. Standing a few feet away from me, Loke and a fiery Natsu stood side-by-side, both with fierce looks adorning their eyes. Looking over, I saw the Omega on the ground, knocked out cold.

Everything was silent for several moments as everyone caught their breaths. When Natsu's fire finally dissipated, both he and Loke seemed to come to the present.

"Luce!"

"Lucy!"

The two of them rushed over to me but despite the agony I was in, I waved them off as I stood on shaky legs.

"I'm... I'm fine... Just a little banged up..." I tried to say in-between deep breaths.

"Luce, we gotta find someone – "

"No!" I snapped, cringing a little at the pressure on my abdomen. Pushing past the two men, I began limping towards the back of the chamber. "We're too close. I'll be fine."

"But you're hurt – "

"Who asked you, Lion?!" I snapped once again, putting a little more determination in my unsteady steps. Realizing that that _Lion_ had probably just saved Natsu _and_ me, I felt guilt start rising up. Not bothering to look back at the two, I said with a little less hostility, "Thanks for your help, Loke, but I think we got it from here."

It seemed like I might have hurt Loke's feelings a bit, because I felt him return through his gate without another word. Now, if only Natsu were so easy to evade...

At the thought of the Slayer, I heard him start catching up to me. Not like it took much, considering my limp slowed me down a good bit. Once Natsu had reached my side, he grabbed me gently by the shoulders and stopped me, turning me to look at him.

His stony mask was in place, but not well enough for me to miss the obvious worry in his expression. "Lucy... Are you sure you're okay?"

Sighing as I slumped my shoulders a little, I said, "No. I've been beaten to hell and back, and so have you. But we're both still standing, so we'll obviously live. So can we please just find the riddle and get out of this godforsaken place?"

Natsu seemed to have a little inner dialogue with himself for a moment before he nodded. Sniffing the air, I saw him crinkle his nose in distaste before nodding again, this time at something he was thinking. Making sure to have his gaze locked with mine, he said, "Stay here. I'll go grab it real quick."

…..

Natsu's nose found the piece of parchment quickly in the massive chamber and, leaning on one another for support, the two of us left, not even bothering to look at the riddle yet. We were both exhausted and injured. It could wait as long as we never had to go back into that hell of mirrors again.

* * *

 ** _Please review and tell me what you think! I put a lot of work into this fight!_**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hello my lovely readers! Sorry for the slight delay, but here's a chapter that will have you fangirls (and guys) squealing! And I would like to thank EVERYONE that has reviewed! It means so much to me. I especially like it in instances like now, where I post the chapter and wake up to many WONDERFUL reviews filling up my inbox! Please don't disappoint me!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Day of Rest – Part I**

When Natsu and I finally reached the exit, it was still open, and clearly dark outside.

' _How long were we in there for_?'

Hanging onto each other as we limped out into the cool night air, we paused only a few feet into the open air. Looking around, I stuttered, "U-um, Natsu? Wh-where do we go now? We can't stay close to this palace... but unless we figure out the riddle right here, right now, we have no direction either..." I would have much preferred a town or something, but I knew Faebridge was the closest and I'd be damned if I went back there for a while. All I knew was that we needed to get away from the Palace, but we couldn't afford to go too far in the wrong direction either.

I looked at Natsu as his firelight danced across his features. He was probably about as bloodied up as I was. There was crimson liquid trying to escape his split lip, but I watched as he sucked it into his mouth briefly. Shaking my head roughly and moving my eyes back to his, he said, "Well, I guess let's see what the riddle says. If it doesn't give us some kind of direction, we'll just have to get away from here and camp for the night."

Nodding silently, I pulled out the riddle and held it to Natsu's light.

 _An endless beach which has no port,_

 _and no people to be seen._

 _A lonesome place that was a fort,_

 _that's now lost to the green._

I bit my lip, extremely frustrated. Looking at Natsu, I said, "Well, this is the most simple yet difficult one yet! I mean, it's obvious we're looking for some lost fort on an island, but there are tons – "

"I know this," Natsu said suddenly, cutting me off. A look of confusion was clouding his features as he scrunched his brow at the piece of parchment.

My whole body seemed to light up. "You do?! Awesome! So, where're we going?"

Natsu frowned. "I don't know."

I almost fell over at that. "Um, what?"

Natsu's tone suggested that he was straining to think. "I've heard of something like this before, but... But, _fuck_ I can't remember!"

I could feel my face fall at his utter look of devastation. Not ignoring that we were both injured and in no shape for traveling at least until the next day, I folded up the parchment and placed it in my bag. "Hey," I said, placing a hand on his arm, smiling up at him. He looked down at me, the concern obvious in his eyes. "We don't have to worry about that right now. Let's just get away from here and set up camp so we can patch ourselves up. Even if we do go in the wrong direction, it's not like it'll be the end of the world, right?"

Natsu seemed to take a moment to consider my words, and then his eyes lit up as he smiled softly. "Yeah, you're right. It'll come to me eventually. By the way, um... You're still in your bra."

I froze in place, looking down at my beaten form. My skirt had held up, but it was still in ruins, destined to be thrown away since it was shredded in certain spots all the way around. One of the straps of my bra had snapped at some point, so my other strap was digging into my shoulder uncomfortably as it tried to support twice the weight. The left cup of my bra was ripped on the top edge. "OH MY GOD DON'T LOOK!" I flipped out, turning away and throwing down my bag to find a shirt to throw on. The best I could find was a tight-fitting tank top, which was excruciating against all the glass.

' _Well, too bad. My dignity can't handle much more today_.'

With that thought, I faced Natsu once more, ready to go even though though the shirt made my injuries feel like someone was scrubbing me with steel wool.

"Okay, let's go," I said, ignoring the blood stains already popping up all over the shirt with disdain.

With that, Natsu grabbed my hand and took off through the trees. I felt my cheeks warm at the fact that Natsu still wanted to hang on to my hand, even though we were out of the Mirror Palace.

…..

Though we weren't running (with the way I felt, I was pretty sure I couldn't run), the fast-pace that Natsu had set for us had me panting heavily three hours later when he finally brought us to a halt.

"Oh, thank God!" I lightly cried out, letting myself collapse to the lush grass of the large field we were in. I groaned as I felt the glass in my back dig in a bit more. I was starting to get dizzy after that travel, too. The sad part was because I knew it was due to the cut on my hand and stomach that never really stopped bleeding, even after Natsu had stopped us earlier to wrap it with a scrap of his vest. My stomach kept bleeding on and off, which was also a nuisance. The Dragon Slayer complained that the smell made him sick.

' _Jerk_.'

"Stay here," Natsu said, dropping our packs to the ground next to me. With that, he bounded off into the dark trees, probably to get fire wood.

I mostly laid there and kept replaying the day in my head while he was gone, reveling in the fluffy grass and looking up at the shining stars. I had to admit that I was pretty proud of my performance earlier, ignoring all the injuries. But that wasn't all. I was almost overjoyed to tears because I had managed to save Natsu before he had been crushed by that monster. If I hadn't done what I did, there was a strong chance that he could have died, and I wasn't sure if there was anything in the universe that could have given me the strength to get through something like that. My world without Natsu would have been... Nothing.

The sounds of footsteps nearing broke me from my morbid thoughts as Natsu rejoined me and began setting up the fire.

"So what were you thinking of for dinner?" I asked, pulling the bags over with a strained grunt so I could start unpacking. "I could make – "

"You don't need to worry about that, Luce," Natsu responded in a casual tone, but I could hear something else lying beneath the surface. "I can throw something together for us after we fix you up. Your hand is still bleeding, I can smell it."

Embarrassment flooded through me at his last statement, but I nodded. "You need some fixing up, too, you know," I pointed out.

"I'll be fine – "

"'I'll be fine, blah blah blah and other manly stuff'," I mocked him. "Give it a rest. You know _I_ won't give it a rest until I make sure you're okay and won't get an infection, so give up now."

Natsu growled but didn't say anything, indicating I'd won that argument. Only a few moments later, the fire was roaring, giving Natsu enough light to see my injuries properly. Awkwardly, I blushed as I pulled my steadily blood-staining tank top up to just below my breasts. I had hoped that would have been good enough, but I felt the fabric snag some smaller glass pieces that had embedded between my shoulder blades, which made me cringe in pain. The whole shirt had to go for him to get to all of the pieces. It wasn't like he hadn't seen me like that before, but... No, it was because _this_ time, exposing myself was _intentional_ , which was ten times more... Terrifying? Exciting? I couldn't figure out how it made me feel, but it was extreme.

I almost jumped from my skin when I felt Natsu's blazing hot fingers gently run over my abdomen. He avoided looking at me and focused intently on my injuries. I was doing everything in my power to keep my thoughts from jumping into the gutter. It was difficult, seeing as _how good_ his touch felt...

After a few excruciating seconds, he finally pulled his hand away and grimaced. "This big one, from the mate's tail... It needs stitches. And your hand. They've been bleeding on and off, depending on how you move."

Looking down at my wrapped hand, Natsu must have noticed my thoughtful look.

"What's up? Not afraid of a few stitches, are you? I mean, you've had them before..."

"No, it's just..." I was thinking back to my theory on the Tombhounds, and how they reacted towards the smell of my blood. "Both times I distracted the Tombhounds, it was because they smelled my blood. It was almost like they went into a frenzy, or some kind of trance. Why... Why did they react like that? Is it because I'm a Celestial Wizard or...?"

"No," Natsu said with a frown. Turning his focus to the glass shards all over my body, he grabbed the tweezers from the first-aid kit and went to work at pulling them all out. It hurt, but I didn't say anything as he continued. "Well, I don't think so, anyways. It was probably because... Well... There are a lot of monsters out there that can't resist the smell of virgin blood."

I took a moment to let his embarrassed words sink in, wincing as he pulled out a resistant shard of mirror. Then I thought about it. "Wait. That doesn't make any sense! They didn't react to _your_ blood... Unless you – "

Natsu let out a short bark of laughter, cutting me off. "Nah. I've never done anything like that before. What I _meant_ to say was a _maiden's_ virgin blood."

Cheeks tinting pink, I said, "Well, that's sexist! What the hell is the big difference?"

At that question, Natsu's face noticeably reddened and his smile fell away. "Well... I mean, I don't know for sure but... I guess we're just born with the instinct. The smell of it is like not having eaten for years and you suddenly smell a feast that's all for you. It probably tastes the same way."

"What the fuck?" I asked in complete confusion. "How the hell - wait, ' _we're_ '?! You mean Dragon Slayers have the same... _reaction_... to vir– Um, _my_ kind of blood?"

Natsu finally seem to finish pulling out all of the glass and he had moved on to cleaning and bandaging the rest of my injuries. Thankfully, there were none in places too private for me to comfortably expose. One large shard had come close, though, just a few inches up from the bottom of my tattered skirt. "Oh, well... Maybe? It's kind of complicated..."

"I think you're smart enough to explain," I deadpanned in a straight tone, looking intensely at the Slayer.

I watched as he swallowed thickly, watching his Adam's apple bob up and down in a way I found delicious. It was clear that whatever we were talking about was an embarrassing subject for him. – However, I had just spent several hours topless in battle, so my sympathy was minimal.

Natsu focused his gaze anywhere but my face as he managed to speak. "Uh... So... You know how Dragon Slayers are made, right?"

I cocked an eyebrow at him as he continued his bandaging, still avoiding looking at me. "Well, kind of. I guess I really don't know many specifics..."

"Well," he continued, coming in closer to me to wrap my bruised ribs. I could feel the heat rolling off of him and I wanted nothing more than to bury myself into chest (no matter how bloody it was). "You know I was raised by Igneel and he taught me the magic. But to become a true Dragon Slayer, the dragon must enter the Slayer's body and sleep for an extended amount of time. When Igneel came out from the hibernation, he also imprinted his dragon instincts and traits. That's why Dragon Slayers tend to be... well, ya know, rowdy and stuff. I didn't learn until I was a teenager however that the dragon instincts went further than ferocity and bravery. Dragon's have always been fond of virgins, because their purity is the ultimate power boost. I mentioned this back in the Palace, but the dragon's magic also binds Slayers to their mating... rituals, I guess. They only ever have one mate, so most of the time, dragons just ate virgin's for the strength they gave them. Sometimes, though... The dragon could take the virgin as a mate, which bound them forever but gave the dragons incredible powers. Eating virgins only gave a temporary strength, but binding to a virgin would hold the dragons strong until they either stopped having sex with their mate or died."

I noticed that my jaw was hanging open by the end, and my mind was a whirlwind of activity. I never knew how serious of an issue sex was to dragons or Dragon Slayers. Of course Lisanna came to mind.

' _If he hadn't caught them and had gone through with marrying Lisanna, they would have mated and Lisanna... Oh my God, what did that mean?_ '

"N-Natsu?" I asked hesitantly, not sure if it was a safe subject to bring up.

"Yeah?" he responded as he lightly turned my head to the side to clean some blood from my neck.

"If... If dragons mate for life and their... _mate_ cheated on them, what would happen to the dragon?"

"It depends," Natsu said, finishing up one more bandage before sitting back to look at his handiwork. I basically looked like a fucking mummy with all of the bandaging. "If it was obvious that the mate's heart belonged to another, the dragon would die. If the mate was truly sorry, or didn't want it, and the dragon knew it for sure, the dragon would be fine except for losing its extra power. The loss of power is what always alerted dragons that their mates were being unfaithful. But, there were very few dragons who didn't take other dragons as mates, so those instances didn't happen often."

"Wow," I said softly, begging tears to not make an appearance.

' _Natsu could have died because of Lisanna's carelessness! Did she even know all this stuff?_ '

"One more question," I said carefully. "And you don't have to answer if you don't want to, it's just... Did Lisanna know about any of this? Did she know that... That she could have killed you?"

Natsu's face quickly became stricken, his skin losing some pallor as his eyes widened slightly. I immediately regretted asking, but before I could even begin to tell him to forget that I asked, he said, "Yeah, I think so. Maybe. She said she knew that Slayers mated for life, and losing their mate would kill them, but maybe she didn't know about the... infidelity thing. I don't know how much she knew exactly. I was gonna explain it to her fully just in case when I proposed to her so she would know exactly what she was getting into, but..."

"Oh, Natsu..." I said sadly, reaching out and putting a cold hand on his very warm arm.

Shaking his head slightly, he said, "It's fine, Luce. I already told ya. I'm over it. I promise." With that he gave me one of his genuine bright smiles, which made me smile in return. Grabbing for the first aid kit once more, he said, "Glad I got you to smiling again, cause it's time to do your stitches."

My smile immediately fell as I groaned irritably out loud, "Ugh, _please_ no! Just... I dunno. We can't just wrap them really good?"

Natsu gave me a look like I was being weird again. "Lucy, I literally _just_ explained what... _your_ kind of blood does to a lot of monsters. We can't risk it."

"I don't know! Just... Cauterize them or something! I want to be on our way to the nearest town tomorrow and walking with stitches fucking _sucks –_ "

"Have you lost your fucking mind?!" Natsu snarled out, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me. "I can't do that! I can't...! I could never... I mean, I promised I'd never hurt you with my fire again! And it would hurt like hell! I can't... I _won't_ do that to you. Not again."

"Natsu," I tried to say in a serene voice, hoping to calm him down a little. "I'm _asking_ you to do this. It's faster than stitches and I'll be able to travel better – "

"No!" he cried out, gripping his hair in one hand in frustration as he waved the other one about wildly. "No! No! No! I'm not doing that to you!"

Giving Natsu a small sneer, I crossed my arms under my breasts (wincing slightly at the pressure on my ribs) and gave him a steely glare. "Fine. I'll just do it myself with the fire."

Those seemed to be the magic words, because Natsu's eyes grew as wide as saucers as he spluttered out, "Wh-what?! What the hell is wrong with you?! I'd never let you do that!"

"Then it looks like you have a choice," I said assertively, turning my chin up. "Either do it yourself or I'll do it the old fashioned way."

" _Fuck!_ " he hissed through clenched teeth as he got up and paced through the tall grass. During his pacing, he muttered unintelligible rants that I couldn't quite hear, but knew what he was saying anyways. After a couple of minutes of watching him have the most intense of wars with himself, he finally flung around to face me, the firelight making him look more fierce. " _Fine!_ I'll... I'll do it, BUT... This is the _only_ time, _ever_! After tonight, you're just gonna have to deal with stitches or hope Wendy is around because I won't – "

"Thank you, Natsu," I said, cutting him off with a smile.

He was still obviously angry as he responded, "Don't go fucking thanking me. This is going to hurt like hell and it's gonna be _my_ fault – "

"Natsu," I said, capturing his attention. I stood on wobbly legs and approached him, falling into hugging him once I'd reached him.

"What – "

"I will never, _ever_ blame you for _anything_ I ask you to do for me. Especially when it's stuff like this. I know you never want to hurt me, and I love that about you but this is the best way and I'll never bring it up again after this if you don't want me to," I said hurriedly, burying my face into his chest as I gripped the front of his vest.

I tried to keep my features and body language as casual as possible as I screamed inwardly at myself. I didn't technically say I loved _him_ but that was not a word I liked throwing out so casually no matter what. I hoped he didn't notice or was too oblivious to think too hard on it.

Letting go of Natsu, I led him back over to my sleeping bag where I sat and held out my hand. Natsu looked from me to it back and forth several times, his displeasure obvious. I nodded at him, trying to encourage him.

Letting out a deep breath, he finally caved and reached out, grasping my injured hand lightly in his and pulling it to him. Facing my palm upwards, exposing the gash I had inflicted upon myself, he lightly placed his other hand over it. Casting his gaze to meet my eyes once more, he added with a growl, "Also, never do _this_ shit again. I already told you... It hurts to see you hurt yourself... Now, are you sure?"

I bit my lip and nodded, not taking my eyes from his. He never released our gaze, even when I felt his hand start to heat up. It was his warning.

Suddenly, I felt a searing, burning sensation shoot across my injury. It was so quick that I barely had time to react before the actual pain of it settled in. "Oh! Ahh... Ow. Ow, ow, ahhh, ow!" I was trying my best to to keep it together because I knew it was going to burn like hell, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop the tears that streaked down my face as I gritted my teeth, a pained groan ripping through my throat.

Immediately I was in Natsu's arms, his hard muscles crushing me to him as he started frantically apologizing over and over. "Fuck, Lucy, I should have said no! I'm so sorry! _So_ fucking sorry! Fuck, I – "

Hand still throbbing, I wrestled away from his hold. "No, it's okay! I'm okay! I'm fine. Just get the one on my abdomen and we'll be done."

"Lucy, I _can't_ – "

"Yes, you can," I reiterated, scooting back and laying down on top of my sleeping bag pointedly. "You did my hand pretty quickly, so it'll be over in just a few seconds. I'm a big girl, Natsu. I can handle it."

The expression he exuded was one of devastation, but I remained firm in my decision. Slowly, he approached me, taking his sweet time in finding the right way to sit next to me. Locking his eyes with mine once more, he said gently, "This is going to hurt a lot worse. Just keep looking at me. Focus on me. And I know you asked me to do this – well, _told_ me to do this – but... I'm still sorry."

And with that, he lightly placed both hands over the jagged wound on my stomach and heated them up as quickly as he could. The fire burned hotly and quickly across my abdomen, causing me to screech out initially.

"Luce, look at me."

I complied and looked back at Natsu, whose eyes bore deep regret. I wanted to cry out, but I knew it would only hurt him more, so I suffered as silently as possible. Relief flooded through me as I felt the burning begin to go away, though it still hurt like crazy. More tears were escaping, rolling back and into my tousled locks, but it couldn't be helped. Natsu kept apologizing over and over, but I kept a hand on his shoulder to keep him from trying to hug me to him again. I asked for it. He didn't need to try and comfort me.

…..

Once the ordeal was done and over, Natsu neatly wrapped both burns after slathering both with the burn cream from Starview. I don't think I'd ever heard the man apologize as much in one night as he did, and I was getting tired of telling him over and over it wasn't his fault. Finally, I snapped and told him to sit still so _I_ could work on _his_ injuries.

However, fate seemed to hate me. Any glass he may have had in him had already been pushed out and was close to healing completely. My biggest concerns were his shoulder and chest. He didn't need stitching because he always self-cauterized, but I always felt better if I at least cleaned the wounds and wrapped them to prevent infection.

"See? I told ya I'm fine. I could be using this time to make food!" Natsu whined as I finished applying the ointment and reached for the gauze.

"Hush. We'll start making dinner in just a minute if you'LL STOP SQUIRMING SO I CAN WRAP YOU PROPERLY!"

I swatted Natsu in the face, popping him on the nose slightly. Surprisingly, it seemed to work, because he immediately became complacent as he tried to move his nose around, like he was trying to adjust it. "I already told you. Don't worry about dinner tonight, I'm gonna take care of it."

"Whatever you say," I relented. Unraveling a bit of the gauze, I had to practically get right on top of him to wrap it around his chest, our faces only inches away from each other as I slowly rolled the wrap around him.

I felt heat beginning to emanate from him the longer I stayed there, and it was like we were lost in our own little world as we maintained eye contact. I found myself unable to think of anything but how handsome the man before me was, and how hot and hard his body was. I didn't dare look down to check, but I knew I had managed to somehow slowly straddle his lap. My hands slowly stopped their ministrations and hung slack as I focused in more on his features. His hard jawline, his fierce eyes, the way his canines were slightly more pronounced than usual for humans... And the heat. It was rolling off of him in droves by that point, warming me instantly and awakening something within me that had me throbbing with need. My uninjured hand dropped down, making contact with Natsu's. To my surprise, he turned it over and laced his fingers with mine, bringing it between us to look at. The sensation of his hand holding mine so intimately was positively electric. When he lowered our hands, our faces were suddenly only a couple inches apart, and Natsu was looking at me in a way I had never seen before. His eyes were darkened, and his muscles were tensed. I watched as he drew in a quick breath, bringing his lower lip into his mouth to bite down onto. I was so close, so _incredibly_ close...

"Gah!" I cried out, toppling backwards out of his lap and letting go of his hand. "Um, uh, you're all... You're all patched up! How about that dinner now, okay? Okay!"

Natsu sat there silent for a moment, still looking at where I'd been, before he finally roughly shook his head. "What... What _was_ that?"

"What was what?" I asked very obliviously, trying everything in my power to not let that turn into a big thing. It _couldn't_ be a big thing. Grabbing my bag, I began pulling out some potatoes and bread, determined not to think about what had just happened... Which I once again wasn't even sure what _had_ happened.

"What was _this_?!" he hissed, grabbing my hand once more and holding the joined hands up for me to see as he leaned in closer to me. "Why... Why do I feel like... Like I want to kiss you?"

I was pretty certain that I died at that moment.

* * *

 _ **PLEASE R &R YOU AWESOME PEOPLE YOU!**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Sooooo, here we go! Y'all are gonna hate me. And I'm**_ **thisclose _to having 200 reviews, for which I'm so grateful to everyone that contributed. Every time I get a review, I get a little more drive to complete the next chapter. Thank you!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: The Day of Rest – Part II**

 _"What was what?" I asked very obliviously, trying everything in my power to not let that turn into a big thing. It couldn't be a big thing. Grabbing my bag, I began pulling out some potatoes and bread, determined not to think about what had just happened... Which I once again wasn't even sure what had happened._

 _"What was this?!" he hissed, grabbing my hand once more and holding the joined hands up for me to see as he leaned in closer to me. "Why... Why do I feel like... Like I want to kiss you?"_

 _I was pretty certain that I died at that moment._

…..

My heart seemed to stop beating in my chest, and I had forgotten how to breathe. He was incredibly close to me, his eyes boring into mine with blazing heat as he held onto my hand. I couldn't deny that there seemed to be electricity sparking from his touch, and I couldn't help but hope that was the sensation he was referring to. It was selfish of me, though.

"I..." I tried to stutter out as I leaned away. Oh God, I couldn't think straight, and I wanted what he wanted, but I couldn't bring myself to admit to it. "I... D-don't kn-know. A-are you f-feeling s-s-sick or s-something?"

Natsu's hair covered his eyes, darkening his look as he used his grip on my hand to pull me closer. "No... I'm feeling... _happy_ ," he said in a surprised tone. "And I... I've never wanted to kiss anyone before. I care about you so fucking much that it almost hurts and I always want to be with you. Even with Lis... Even with Lisanna, we only kissed because I knew that was what I was supposed to do. I never... I've never actually _wanted_ to before... until now."

Swallowing hard, I tried to suppress my trembling the best I could as I gently slipped my hand away from his. I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity more than anything in the world, but... I knew I couldn't. I had just been assaulted a few days before, and it hadn't even been two full months since he caught Lisanna with Bickslow. It was too much, too fast. _God_ , I wanted him so badly – more than anything, actually – but we just couldn't jump into anything at the moment.

Or maybe I was just trying to avoid being a _rebound_. To be honest, yes, the way those men in Faebridge treated me still chilled me to the bone and made me feel disgusted to think about. However, despite that, I _wanted_ Natsu's touch. I craved it, even still.

"I... I want to... _God_ , I want to, but... we... we _can't_ ," I said in utter devastation. "We... Too much is happening... You just lost Lisanna... I... I _can't_ be that girl..."

Natsu finally looked up at me, confusion shrouding his intense features. "I told you, I'm over the Lisanna thing. And you can't be _what_ girl?"

" _That_ girl!" I said, pulling away from him and waving my arms wildly in the air. "You know, when guys and girls break up, there's usually a relationship right after... I mean... Um... It's called a rebound, and it's not good. It usually ends with someone getting hurt."

"A rebound?" Natsu pressed, looking at me curiously as he eyed me. "Well, that sounds kind of stupid. And it didn't answer my question. Is this... _need_ I have for you... to be around you all the time... To _kiss_ you... Does it mean more than I thought? And why can't we if you want to – ?"

"Because!" I exclaimed. My face was probably the color of Natsu's red emblem, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "It's just... It's too soon! I care about you too, _so_ much more than you'd think, but I can't... I have to _think_ about this. _You_ have to think about this! Involving ourselves with each other could _ruin_ everything, and I don't want to lose you as a friend, _ever_. You can't want me. I'm not... I'm not good enough for someone like you."

Natsu stopped his advance on me, his eyes raking up and down my form as I watch him swallow hard. Then, suddenly, a smile graced his lips, his eyes almost shining.

"Wh-why are you smiling?" I asked, my thoughts in a frenzy.

Cocking his head, his eyes bore into mine. "Because... Even though you said all that other stuff, you still said you wanted it too. And if you want to wait and think about it, go ahead. I'll wait as long as I have to. And I understand that you don't want to lose our friendship, but we're gonna be partners for life no matter what, so I'm not worried about that. I don't know why you're different, or why you make me feel like I do when I'm around you or the electricity I feel when I touch you, but I like it, and I don't want to lose it." In a flash, Natsu had me in his arms in a crushing hug. "And don't ever think you're not good enough for me. If anything, the princess is _always_ out of the dragon's league."

I wasn't sure why, but I felt my heart nearly burst. He wanted to wait for me? He... He possibly even felt the same I did? My mind was reeling, and I felt slightly dizzy as Natsu finally pulled away from me.

"Whoa," I heard him say as I felt myself sway slightly on my feet. Natsu reached forward and grabbed me before I fell, sweeping me up bridal style.

Shaking my head to try and ward off the spinning, I said, "I'm fine. I just... I lost a little too much blood."

Natsu drew his mouth into a thin line, frowning. "You need to lay down and rest. I'm about to get dinner started, but I gotta run and catch some meat." Natsu settled me gently into my sleeping bag, making sure I was sufficiently covered and close enough to the fire. "Keep your Spirits handy, but I should only be gone for a couple of minutes."

I couldn't think of anything to respond with, so I only nodded numbly as I readjusted myself in the sleeping bag. I was finally left alone with my thoughts, but there were so many that I was having a hard time processing everything.

' _So... He actually wants me... Like I want_ _ **him**_ _... But he's willing to wait... Until I'm sure... It's like a dream come true. But I should have taken my chance and kissed him! I know I want him! I've wanted him for years! What is wrong with me?_ '

Maybe some time to think would be good. Maybe he would take my advice and think about it _himself_. By no means did I want him to have a change of heart, I just wanted him to know for sure what he wanted. I could handle just being friends with him if it meant I could keep him in my life. If we were to leap into something we were both unsure of, it could ruin everything and basically destroy my world.

I knew it was love, and there was no denying it. But there was no declaring it anytime soon, either.

When Natsu came back a few minutes later, carrying four large rabbits which were already cleaned and ready to go, I could feel the day taking its toll on my mind and body. When he saw me watching him approach, he smiled at me.

I smiled back softly. "What's gotten you so happy?"

Spearing the rabbits onto a spit, Natsu set about seasoning and cooking the meat with a smug smile dancing across his features. "Oh, some weird chick admitted she wants me like I want her. We agreed to wait, but I'm pretty optimistic." With that, he flashed me a toothy grin, making my stomach flutter and my body flush slightly.

Trying to play along, I said, "S-so, you like this girl?"

"Hell yeah," he said enthusiastically. "She's beautiful, she's smart, she can be really weird but it's one thing I really love about her. I always want to be by her side and protect her, but she's super strong so she really doesn't need it. She makes me feel things I've never felt before."

I couldn't play along anymore as my words became stuck in my throat. He was able to say stuff like that so easily, and it obviously didn't faze him a bit. Clearly he could be oblivious, but once he wasn't, he had no qualms in being straight up about everything.

Unfortunately, the blood loss had made me unbearably tired, and while Natsu happily worked on dinner, I found myself drifting off to sleep.

…..

"Luce..."  
"Ngh..." I groaned out, trying to roll over but felt every inch of my body scream in protest.

"Luce, dinner's ready," the voice said again.

My head throbbed viciously and my entire body ached, so all I managed to do was groan again in protest.

I felt a warm hand suddenly creep into my sleeping bag and slide under my back, lifting me to a sitting position. With that, I had no choice but to open my eyes to an eagerly awaiting Natsu.

Groaning again, I whined, "Still sleepy..."

"I know, but you gotta eat something. Gotta build your strength back up," he said caringly. It was really strange, to be honest. Before he confessed everything, he was the same old aloof Natsu, still my partner but not as... gentle. Then, once everything was kind of out in the open, he showed no signs of repressing how he felt about me.

Sighing, I sat up on my own and grabbed the plate of roasted rabbit and potatoes he handed to me. I gave him a small smile and began to dig in.

"What about you?" I asked, my mouth half-full.

"Oh, I already ate," he said casually, sitting cross-legged next to me. "You're a lot worse off than you let on. You need rest so I waited a little longer after dinner was finished to wake you."

"I'm fine," I said shortly, my mind replaying everything from before my small nap. My cheeks tinted pink as I slowly chewed on my food, accepting the bottle of water Natsu handed me with a nod. I still couldn't believe that he said all of that stuff, and that he might actually want me as much as I wanted him. However, I had worried about it since say one – I didn't want to be a rebound, so I needed him to really take time to think his feelings through. I wasn't sure how long it took for someone to get over their about-to-be fiancee cheating on them.

"Luce," I heard Natsu say softly from beside me. When I looked up at him, he was wearing a smile, but concern could clearly be seen underneath his gaze. "Look, I know everything I said... It was probably stupid, and I probably shouldn't have said anything, but... I was surprised. I've never wanted anything the way I want you, and it scares me a little. I meant everything I said, I just... wish I had waited for a better time or something. After everything that happened a few days ago, I never want to pressure you into anything – "

"And you haven't," I cut him off. I was not going to make him feel guilty for voicing how he felt about me. I said as much as well, just not in as many words. "Like I said, we both should wait and think about it. You're my best friend, and I don't want to lose what we have if we're not sure... _something_ happening between us won't end in disaster."

Natsu smiled brightly at me again. "Like I said, I can wait. But there's nothing to think over for me, Lucy. My instincts tell me it's right, and I always trust my instincts."

I huffed out a small laugh. "Huh, right, you're _instincts_. The same ones that drive your kind to bloodlust – ?" I stopped myself, having a sudden thought. "Wait, you said Dragon Slayers have the same instinct of reaction to, er, _virgin_ blood. So why haven't you gone all crazy and stuff whenever you smell _my_ blood?"

I watched some color drain from Natsu's face as he suddenly found the hem of his (now intact) vest very interesting. "Um, well... Because we're still human, we maintain better... um... _control_ , I guess? When your daily life involves being around hundreds of people like in Magnolia, the smell of virgin blood is basically a given constant. And since most Dragon Slayers are introduced back into society as kids, we grow up and become accustomed to the smell. It still affects us, but we just learn to deal with it."

"So the smell of my blood _does_ affect you?" I asked curiously, though I probably shouldn't have asked.

"Well, yeah," he said as if it were the most common knowledge in the world. He looked up from his vest to look at me with innocent eyes. "You _are_ a virgin, and I _am_ a Dragon Slayer."

I was sure there wasn't a single inch of my body that didn't turn red at his words. "W-Wait... But-but you said th-the smell of my blood m-makes you sick," I stated with a questioning tone, unable to keep the stutter out of my voice.

At that, Natsu looked back down at his hand gripping the hem of his vest. "Oh, um... Well, I guess I should just tell you everything."

"Everything?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. How much more weird, freaky Dragon Slayer secrets could I handle?

Sighing deeply, Natsu slipped on top of my sleeping bag to sit next to me. I wasn't sure what he was up to at first until I suddenly felt him grab me gently, mindful of my injuries, and placed me in front of him between his legs with my back to his chest. Wrapping his arms around me, he leaned us back against his massive pack to look up at the stars. And then he began.

"I started really noticing the smell of your blood just a little while before Lisanna came back. At first, I thought it _did_ make me sick, because I started feeling weird every time I could smell your blood. But, despite how weird it made me feel, it seemed like I couldn't get enough of it, which _did_ sicken me. What kind of fucked up friend enjoyed smelling their best friend's blood? I didn't – and don't – ever want you getting hurt and smelling your blood most of the time means that that's exactly what happened. Well, a couple of months before Lisanna came back, I finally remembered what Igneel had taught me about it. I was completely weirded out, but I knew my growing attraction to the smell of your blood meant I had a growing attraction to you – "

"Wait, _that's_ how you assume that you have... that you feel something towards me? Because you started liking the way my _blood_ smells?" I interrupted, almost feeling offended.

"Yes! – Well, no! I don't know! All I knew was that I had started feeling... _thngs_ towards you when your blood started affecting me more than it used to! But then Lisanna came back..."

Natsu grew quiet for a moment, and I knew he was thinking about her. I felt my heart grow a little heavier, because I was proving my theory about him not being completely over her. But then he began talking again.

"I've never told anyone this, but I never once thought about if she was what I wanted. We were close childhood friends, so everyone just assumed we'd get together immediately. Next thing I knew, I was dragged off to buy a ring for her. It took me until we were in Starview to realize that I had been a complete idiot. I didn't want _her_. Not like that. I was literally just doing what everyone expected of me. Now, I'm _done_ with that. I'm _done_ with everyone treating me like I can't think for myself. _I_ want to do what _I_ want. _I_ want to be with who _I_ want. And I'm tired of hiding it. I've wanted you for longer than even _I_ knew, but I never wanted to say anything unless I knew you felt something back. When I held your hand... When it felt like shockwaves were sparking between us... I knew I had to say something. I promised myself that I was going to do what I wanted, and what I want is you."

I opened my mouth to say something – anything – as tears welled up in my eyes, but he didn't stop.

"Being with Lisanna took _so_ much work. I'd be hanging out with her, but I would keep wondering what _you_ were doing, or why it was a struggle to be with Lis all the time when it's so _effortless_ to be with you. I know I'm not all that smart, or observant, but I finally realized what it meant once I took Lis out of the picture. I know that... I know that _love_ takes time and work, but letting it happen shouldn't be so... _stressful_. Even when she and I were together, laughing and talking and... other things... I knew something felt wrong. I always felt so distant with her. When I tried to ask Mira about it, the next thing I knew, half the girls in the Guild – Cana, Mira, Wendy, Juvia, Erza – were dragging me to pick out a ring. I guess they thought my minor doubt meant that I was just nervous and it was time for the next step."

"Oh, Natsu..." I said softly, begging the excess water in my eyes to go away. I knew he could smell when I was crying. "Why didn't you ever say anything to me? We were still friends and partners."

"I dunno. Maybe I was ashamed. Maybe I was putting off the inevitable. When I caught her and Bickslow, I didn't realize it at the time but I was _relieved_. Dragons taking a mate is a serious thing, which is why I told her I wanted to wait until after marriage, even though she clearly... um... wanted to. I felt like it would give me some time. In all honesty, getting married means nothing to Slayers. The mating is a stronger bond than that flimsy piece of paper could ever be. But, I was waiting."

"Waiting for what?" I asked quietly, craning my head to look at him. His eyes were fixated on the stars.

"I think... I dunno... I mean, it wasn't like she was still a virgin, so her blood never called to me... Not like yours does. Maybe I was hoping I'd get another sign that she could be my mate. I just never got one. At least, not one that said 'yes.'"

"Natsu..." I said hesitantly, yawning widely. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

Natsu looked down at my tired form, his expression almost unreadable. He opened his mouth to say something, but apparently decided against it as he shut it once more.

"What?" I asked curiously, trying to keep my eyes open to continue to look at the handsome man. My mind was reeling with his – lengthy – confession, and I felt like I probably should have said something back by then. _Anything_. He admitted his feelings to me, so why couldn't I own up too?

"I..." he tried to say, obviously struggling to find the right words. "I guess I was taking a chance. Holding all of that in for so long... I guess I just decided to say fuck it. I'm not... I'm not going to say a whole bunch of stuff about love or anything yet, 'cause I guess I'm still unsure about everything. But... But my instincts are never wrong. They howl for you, and they never _once_ did that for Lisanna..."

Because of what I knew about Dragon Slayers, I knew that their instincts were basically what drove them. If he was telling the truth, that meant he really must have been warring with himself. I was unbelievably comfortable and warm, propped against Natsu's chest, and it was serving to make me only more tired. However, I knew I had to say something. _Anything_ to let him know it wasn't just him.

"I... I feel the same..." I mumbled sleepily." I – "

"It's okay, Luce," I heard him say softly, cutting me off as he wrapped his arms more securely around me. "That's all I needed to know. Get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning."

I couldn't bring myself to argue as I blearily nodded, letting my head roll over onto his chest and dozing off peacefully.

...

"Luce, how ya feeling?"

I groaned, feeling my consciousness creep to the surface. I was definitely sore all over, but the agonizing pain from the day before was gone.

"Lucy, it's time to get up."

Suddenly, everything from the night before came rushing back, causing me to pop up straight, my eyes snapping open. A disconcerted looking Natsu met my gaze as he sat in front of me on his haunches, looking like he just won the lottery.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he said brightly. Smiling at me like an excited child, he sat down cross-legged to address me. "Your injuries feeling any better?"

Cheeks already beginning to blaze up, I nodded, barely mumbling a confirmation as I tried to cover my face with my hair. Between my locks, I immediately saw Natsu's face fall, a frown forming.

"What's wrong?"

' _Of course blunt, oblivious Natsu would wonder why I'm acting weird._ '

"It... It's just..." I tried to say through yawns, rubbing my eyes harshly as I thought about how screwed up my hair looked. "I don't know. After everything last night, I don't want things to be awkward or – "

"Awkward?" Natsu cut in questioningly. "Nothing's gonna be awkward, Luce. I told you how I... how I feel. And you said you feel the same. So what's gonna be awkward?"

Ugh. Of course he would think of it so simply. "I meant... I have no clue how we... _proceed_ from here. I guess I still kind of want to protect myself in case you're not... Not _really_ over Lisanna."

Natsu seemed to relax at that. "Oh. You're still worried about the ribbon thing? I told you I'm _done_ with any feelings for her and I _really_ am."

Nodding sheepishly, I corrected him. " _Rebound._ "

Still smiling, Natsu said, "Well, don't worry about it! _Please_. I'm not even upset with her anymore. It's actually a relief knowing that I narrowly avoided binding myself to her. I... I prefer you."

"I..." I said carefully, my heart trying to jump from my throat. "I'm not going to lie to you, Natsu. I'm pretty sure I've been attracted to you practically since we met, but... I guess I was a coward about it. When you got with... With Lisanna... I tried to get past it by dating, but the dates were always a disaster. When I realized I was having trouble with my love life, I knew I was sabotaging myself because I still have feelings for you. That's how I've gotten so much stronger. All I did in my spare time was train and learn how to work with my Spirits better."

There. It was out in the open. That I had been openly desperate and even quit dating because I couldn't get past my feelings for him. Natsu stared at me, his eyes searching my face as his mouth slowly morphed into a grin. Trying to break the intense silence, I said, "So you weren't crazy delusional last night when you told me all that stuff?" I asked, stretching out my stiff limbs.

"Nope," he said, popping the end of the word. "I really do care about you, Luce, and my instincts tell me that I'm right about this. I think I heard Levy refer to it as 'like-liking.' I still want to kiss you, even if it's only to find out what it's like to kiss someone that I _want_ to."

Combing my fingers roughly through my hair, I paused in my ministrations and slowly lowered my hands to look at him. He had moved closer to me, our bodies only a few inches apart. Steeling my resolve, I said, "I'm think I... I like-like... you too, Natsu... and God knows how long I've waited to... To kiss you, too... But I feel like we should... Ugh! I don't know!"

"Hey," Natsu said softly, gently grabbing my hand to let us both feel the sparks again. "Like I said, I can wait. I don't want to do anything you're uncomfortable with." He was unbelievably close now. I could feel his heat washing over me, and the smoldering look in his eyes made him damn near irresistible. "But, can... can you just allow me this, just this once?" I knew what he was referring to as I watched his eyes dart to my mouth as he licked his lips asently. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I was sure that he could feel and hear it.

He was already so close that I wasn't sure if I could say no even if I wanted to or not. I nodded slowly, to which Natsu's eyes brightened as he brought his face even closer to mine. I held my breath and closed my eyes in anticipation.

But nothing happened.

Opening my eyes, I could see Natsu at attention, alert and looking around.

"Fuck!" he yelled out before catching me around the waist and tossing the both of us to the side. Right as I felt the impact of us hitting the ground, I opened my eyes to see one of the smaller Tombhounds land right where Natsu and I had been.

"They found us!" Natsu hissed, taking his defensive stance.

My lips were still tingling in anticipation.

* * *

 **PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! I MADE SO MUCH FLUFF TO APPEASE MY READERS THIS CHAPTER! AND I'M SORRY THEY DIDN'T KISS BUT I HAVE PLANS FOR THAT!**


	15. Chapter 15

_**Short chapter but a huge shoutout to all my dedicated fans and especially my ewviewers! Y'all keep this story going strong!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Dragoste Island**

Luck seemed to be on our side that day. There were only three of the beasts, which Natsu and I got rid of easily. After the abrupt killing of the moment, I could have cursed any and every God that could have possibly existed. Once we packed up and went on our way in case more decided to show up, I couldn't bring any of my nerves back to try and pick up where Natsu and I had left off. Natsu, on the other hand, was somehow visibly shaken and was determined to get us to civilization. When I asked what was wrong, he muttered something about letting his guard down then went back to his stony silence.

So, yeah. I was right. Things were awkward. The only thing I could tell myself to make me feel better was that at least it was a different kind of awkward. Natsu was mad at himself because he let his guard down while trying to kiss _me_. Knowing him, he wanted to get us somewhere safe where he could try again. I was nervous, to say the least, and I couldn't help but remind myself over and over that it wouldn't really mean anything. He said it himself, kind of. He just wanted to kiss someone that he actually _wanted_ to kiss for once. Other than that, he agreed to wait for me to figure out what the hell I was gonna do. I wanted Natsu, _bad_. But I also didn't want to lose him, which was a small possibility if we _did_ get involved. Natsu had calmed most of my fears when he said we were partners for life anyways, but I still needed a little time.

Especially after what had happened in Faebridge. I didn't want us to take _that_ step and me flip out on him or something.

After searching our map for a town nearby that _wasn't_ Faebridge, we noticed we were closer to the Eastern coast than we thought. There was a little port town about a week's walk from us called Oakheart Port. We both admitted it had to be better than Faebridge, and we were already running dangerously low on provisions.

Just like when we left Starview, it only took Natsu about a day before he was back to his same old self, which in turn did the same for me. We never mentioned what had happened back in that field, but Natsu didn't seem to forget and I sure didn't either. Every now and then if I would complain of my feet hurting, he would sweep me onto his back and carry me for a while without a word. Before, he would have just told me to quit complaining. I was honestly stunned that he knew how to... well, _flirt_ , I guess was the word for it. The only thing I could think was that he was using information he'd gathered during his time with Lisanna, whether through her or suggestions from our Guildmates. Either way, I wasn't complaining. It was the best feeling in the world receiving that kind of affection from Natsu Dragneel, the fierce Fire Dragon Slayer.

After our week of travel, we finally came into the small port town. I was expecting super fancy everything since Faebridge had been top-of-the-line, but it was a normal looking port. It kind of reminded me of Hargeon.

Looking down at my watch, I noted that it was getting close to two in the afternoon. "Hey, it's still an early day," I said, looking over at Natsu. Just like when we entered Faebridge, he _looked_ like he'd been tromping in the woods for days. And, also like in Faebridge, I was sure I looked the same. "Let's go ahead and find a hotel room so we can both freshen up and we'll find somewhere to eat. Sound good?"

Natsu's mouth immediately began watering at my mention of food, but he nodded in compliance anyways. After spending over two full months in constant contact with me, he knew better than to come between me and a bath. (However, as filthy as I was, I needed a shower so the bath would have to come later that night. ' _There is a difference!_ ')

We only looked around for maybe ten minutes before we found a quaint little inn, which also happened to be located next door to a seafood buffet. Bam, two birds, one stone.

I quickly grabbed us a (thankfully) inexpensive room with two beds, not liking the old man behind the counter's glare and mumbling about unmarried harlots. How he got that from wanting _two separate beds_ , I would never know, so I just shrugged my shoulders and called Natsu inside. The old man was lucky the Slayer had been outside ogling the smell of the restaurant next door and not hearing what he said. I wasn't sure how far Natsu's feelings went nor how possessive he was, but I was sure he wouldn't have appreciated the man's words in any case.

I led us to our room and once we were inside with the door locked, I fell to the floor, reveling in not having to move. Our near-constant traveling was taking its toll on me.

Natsu just gave me a weird look, which I expected because I _was_ laid out on the floor. Rolling my eyes, I stood and grabbed my pack, pulling out some clean garments to change into before stalking to the bathroom. As I shut the door, I heard Natsu call out. "Don't take forever! I'm starving."

Smirking at the most patient impatient person I knew, I called back through the closed door, "Then just go! I'll catch up with you when I'm done!"

There was a pause of silence before I heard him say, "Nahh. They'd probably kick me out for being so dirty anyways."

I smiled, knowing that was just an excuse. Natsu would never pass up food for being clean. He was just waiting on me. Smiling like a star-struck school-girl, I quickly turned the shower on and reveled in what felt like the most wonderful shower ever. Once I was finished and dried off, I was about to walk away from the mirror until I saw a small bottle of perfume sitting next to the other complimentary soaps and lotions. Eyeing it curiously, I gave it a spritz, barely letting it graze my skin.

' _Oh, God, gross!_ ' I thought frantically. I didn't know who the hell labeled that stuff as perfume, but it was more like a bottle of molded berries! Quickly grabbing a washcloth, I scrubbed vigorously where the liquid had touched my skin. I scrubbed enough that the scent seemed to finally fade, so when I was done, I dressed quickly in a black skirt and red tube top and made my way to the door. Right as I was opening it, I heard Natsu call out, "What's that smell?"

"Oh, sorry," I said, casting my gaze down to my chest where I had spritzed myself. "I – "

Suddenly, Natsu was in front of me, sniffing at me cautiously before covering his nose. "Oh, God, what the hell?!" he cried out, a small whimper escaping his throat. "Lucy, what did you do?"

"Oh God, you can still smell it?!" I asked frantically looking over myself in disgust.

"What the fuck is that?" he asked as he began to sneeze consecutively.

"I'm sorry!" I said, partially freaking out. I knew I was killing his poor, overpowered nose. "There was this perfume and – "

"Go!" he said in-between sneezes. "Go shower again!" Another sneeze. "You don't need perfumes – " Another sneeze. " – you always smell just fine!"

Turning beet red, I stuttered, "B-but that'll use up the r-rest of the hot water!"

"I don't care!" Sneeze. "I'll take a cold one!" Sneeze.

Not arguing any further, I rushed back into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. I was embarrassed as hell but I couldn't help but giggle hysterically to myself at the sight of an overwhelmed Natsu. If it smelled bad to me, I should have _known_ how bad it would have been for him. Scrubbing my hair and body once more, a bit more vigorously to make sure I was rid of the offending smell, I finally finished again and redressed. Walking out (while still kind of giggling), Natsu was sitting on the bed, looking irritably my way.

"There, you happy?" I asked. In the next second, Natsu was on his feet, standing right in front of me. I squeaked at his fast movements but said nothing else as he leaned forward, nuzzling his face beside mine and into my hair. I heard him inhale contentedly.

"Yes," he said in almost a purr, not removing himself. "Much better. Much more... _you_."

I jerked back at that, willing myself to not make a freaked-out sound. "Um, N-Natsu. You better get your shower. The restaurant is closing soon for some kind of holiday. Sorry it'll probably go cold on you."

Natsu blinked, staring at me a moment before a smile formed on his lips. "Worth it to not have to smell you smelling like rotten fruit."

"JERK!"

…..

After three days of nonstop research, I had become more than determined to find the answer to the riddle. When the town's library came up short, I knew I only had one option left.

 _"Oh my God, Lucy! You're okay! Why did you just leave without telling anyone or saying goodbye – ?"_

"Levy!" I said stubbornly into the communication lacrima. "Calm down! I know I just up and left but... we kind of had to. I'll explain when we get back in a few months."

 _"Okay, but – Lucy! We miss you so much! So, if you're not calling to chat, I'm assuming you need something?"_

"I know, I know, I miss you guys, too." I was trying hard to not let tears come to my eyes. I did miss everyone. A lot. And Levy was my best (female) friend, so seeing her just made me miss her all the more. "And yeah. We're on a riddle scavenger hunt and the one we have now is kind of... complicated. Natsu swears he's heard of it before but he can't remember so I wondered if maybe you have heard anything like it."

 _"Okay,"_ Levy said, _"Give it to me."_

"Okay," I said, pulling the riddle to the forefront of my mind. I had already read it so many times that it was ingrained into my memory. "' _An endless beach which has no port, and no people to be seen. A lonesome place that was a fort, that's now lost to the green._ '"

 _"Oh!"_ Levy exclaimed. _"Oh, I see what you mean! Natsu **would** have heard of this before. It's referring to Dragoste Island. There was a job posting for it maybe six months before you joined Fairy Tail. Apparently it's this 'deserted' island, but there's a fort called Fort Ikari that's been there abandoned for years."_

"What was the job posting for?" I asked hesitantly. _Dragoste Island_. Sounded ominous.

Levy seemed to hesitate, realizing the weight of her words. _"It was looking for an all female wizard team to invade the island and rid it of whatever was luring men there to their deaths. The job posting was eventually taken down. Lucy, this could be seriously dangerous."_

I was running over the information Levy had given me, considering my many options. "Yeah. If something is luring men to their deaths there, that means I might have to leave Natsu behind."

 _"Eh..."_ Levy said in an unsure tone. _"I'm not exactly positive about that. He's not exactly a normal human man, so he may be stronger than whatever that island has to offer. Now that you know what you need to know, I need gossip. Like, right now. So, Natsu's told you about Lisanna?"_

Closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose, I groaned audibly at Levy. "Ohh, don't drag me into this. _Yes_ , I know all about it – and then some – but I don't want to talk about Natsu's love life behind his back."

Especially because I was currently curled up in a random broom closet of the inn to avoid Natsu seeing me contact home. He might consider it cheating.

 _"Fair enough,"_ she said. _"It's honestly kind of weird to see Lisanna and Bickslow together. But whatever, they're happy. What... What about Natsu? Can you at least tell me how he's holding up?"_

I nodded, looking down at my hands. "Yeah. He's doing _much_ better. We're just... _really_ focused on getting this job over with." Levy was my best friend, but it was not the time nor the place to tell her about my developments with the pink haired man.

 _"Oh?"_ Levy asked. _"Well, I think that's all you need to know, I guess. And please, come home soon."_

"I promise," I said before grabbing the lacrima and shutting it off.

' _Dragoste Island_...'

…..

Four days and a very seasick Natsu later found us on the beach of an island that all of the crewman refused to step foot on. The boat literally dropped us off and left, every man aboard terrified of the island. I thought it was odd that something this big had gone on for so long and I had never heard about it.

Tossing some water onto Natsu, I said, "Come on, pull yourself together. The Fort is only a few miles into the jungle from where we are."

Natsu hopped up, looking a little gaunt after not being able to keep food down for three days. Shaking his head and evaporating the water that still clung to him, he gripped his stomach and whined, "Fooooodd..."

Rolling my eyes, I complied and let him catch a massive fish to eat. Luckily, it was still early in the day, so when he finished I tried again.

"Ready to go find this fort? Are you sure you wanna go? This place has been known to kill all the men that come here. Or, well, they're never heard from again, at least"

"Nah," Natsu said, firing up his fists gleefully. "I'll be fine. And there's no way I'm letting you go in there by yourself."

Sighing as I shrugged my shoulders, I started walking off towards the jungle. I could hear Natsu following behind.

An hour and a half later, Natsu and I finally had the fort in sight. The riddle wasn't lying when it said that nature had completely taken the place over. The old, crumbling brick of the building was barely held together by tree branches and vines almost completely engulfing the ancient place. The front of the building was open, whatever doors may have been there long gone. There was a large hole in the middle of the ceiling, allowing daylight to filter in and illuminate the dilapidated insides that were also grown over with vines.

As Natsu and I stood in the middle of the large room, we carefully took in our surroundings but couldn't really see anything out of place.

"Maybe we came to the wrong island. That riddle _was_ kind of vague..." I tried to reason.

"No," Natsu said lowly, sniffing the air lightly. "Whatever we're after is definitely here. I can smell different men... _Sex_... some creature I've never encountered.

As much as I wanted to blush at his description of what he smelled, I only nodded. "Yeah. Apparently this creature has been luring men here to their deaths for years. I guess that makes sense."

Natsu cocked an eyebrow at me, "Is there anything else this _book_ you found might say about this? The monster smells awful, can't be anything pleasant."

That, I did blush at. Nope. Still wasn't gonna tell him about asking Levy for help. Instead, I told him I found a recently published book that talked about it. Unfortunately, it was expensive so I could only read it real quick with my glasses. He didn't care much for research so he seemed to accept it just fine.

"No. I have some theories, though," I said, looking around the room for some sign of a secret wall or chamber.

"Like what?" Natsu asked, looking with me but not straying very far.

"Well, the _book_ said it was known to lure men here and the men were never seen nor heard from again. With that in mind, it could be something like a siren, a succubus, certain types of vampires..."

"Well, that's where you're wrong, my dear."

The very strong (and loud) female voice boomed through the area, causing me to jump back and into Natsu, who grabbed me tightly.

"Who are you?" Natsu snarled out. "Show yourself, coward!"

"Hmm, well, I guess I never like to keep them waiting..."

A pink light suddenly took the sunlight's place in illuminating the building, becoming very bright before finally fading away. Atop a broken stone pillar, Natsu and I both saw a woman standing there, her chin held high and her expression way too smug.

I couldn't deny that she was beautiful. She had thick platinum hair curled into massive rings that fell to her waist, and her sapphire eyes were big and seductive. Her curvy body was squeezed into a white silver corset and an unbelievably short black leather skirt. Her dominatrix-type boots came up to her mid-thigh, and her very well-endowed chest seemed to almost spill out of her top.

Looking over to Natsu, I could see him taking her in, but his face was set in a glare. It was a small comfort, at least, to know that her looks weren't what held her power.

"So if you're not any of those things Lucy said, then what are you?" Natsu asked, his fists flaming up at his sides.

"Hmm... That's a long story. Well, I guess it's really not," she said in a bored tone, hopping down from her stance to land a feet feet in front of Natsu and me. "I used to be what you humans always worshiped as a god." A small gasp escaped my lips but she continued. "About a century ago, I stopped getting my bounty."

"What do you mean, bounty?"

The woman rolled her large blue eyes at my question. "Ignorant human. We gods have always demanded sacrifice in exchange for our services. Some gods wanted virgins, others wanted meals, but me... My name was Fulvia, Goddess of the Act of Love, and all I demanded was a male sacrifice to tide over my libido while I granted the island's cohabitants protection from... I guess it would be called 'impotency' now. I was later cast from the circle of the gods for certain indiscretions, so to keep myself alive, I now prey on every man I can get my hands on." The woman smiled wickedly, her eye's not leaving Natsu's form.

Grabbing Natsu tightly around his arm, I pulled him back slightly. "But if you're no longer a goddess, then you shouldn't have any power!" I challenged.

"And that's where you're wrong again, _girl_. Though I may have lost my most powerful spells, I still retained magic. All it took was a little studying, and now I can manipulate anyone – _man_ or _woman_ – into doing whatever _deviant_ thing I have in mind as long as I maintain my supply of sexual energy. However, your grip on your friend is very unnecessary right now. I already have a meal waiting for me, so I'll play with you two later."

"Wait, what – ?!" Natsu and I cried in unison before everything was suddenly black.

* * *

 _ **PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! IF I CAN GET AT LEAST THIRTY REVIEWS, I'LL TRY TO GET A NEW CHAPTER OUT BY SUNDAY!**_


	16. Chapter 16

**_Yeah, a bit later than usual. My dad had a stroke but... I'm not gonna go into the details._**

 ** _Anyways, I've had a couple of people ask how long I plan to make this story, so here's my answer: I don't know. The only thing I can really say is that it will end soon after Natsu and Lucy get back from the job. I want to go ahead and also thank all of my readers and reviewers! Today is officially my birthday so I look forward to lots of good reviews and birthday wishes!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Former Goddess**

My consciousness floated at a slow pace to the surface, and I was beginning to register everything around me. I didn't seem to be hurting anywhere much with the exception of my back, which I knew was because of some flat cot I seemed to be laying on. Opening my eyes blearily, I was shocked to see the ceiling of a stone dungeon.

' _The goddess! Natsu!_ '

I sat up quickly into a sitting position, looking at my new surroundings carefully. I was definitely in a cell judging by the bars in place around two of the four walls. The wall to my left and the wall behind me were both made of stone, whereas one wall of bars was also clearly a gate and the other was open to the next cell. Looking through the bars into the cell connected to mine, I cried out.

"Natsu!"

The man was laying on a flattened cot similar to mine, still snoozing away after being hit with that spell. He didn't seemed to be hurt, but I was more relieved that I was still with him (in a way). When Natsu heard me call his name, he woke up slowly and took in his new surroundings just as I had. In an instant, he looked over at me sharply.

"Lucy!" Without any hesitation, Natsu was on his feet and at the bars that connected our cells. I stood and did the same, approaching the bars to stand in front of him. He asked frantically as he put a strong grip on the bars between us, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I said, not stopping him as he reached through the bars to grab my hand and lace our fingers together. I could feel the familiar tingle that his touch always brought, but I was more concerned about the predicament we were in. "Come on, we gotta get out of here."

Natsu nodded firmly. "Stand backed. I'm gonna melt the bars away."

I did as he said and retreated to my cot in the stone corner. Natsu stood back a little before taking in a large breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

But nothing happened. Not even a match's worth of fire escaped his lips. "What the fuc – "

"She must have some kind of nullification magic on the cells!" I said quickly, panicked. Feeling around my hip, I searched for my Keys but couldn't find them anywhere on me. "And that bitch stole my Keys!"

"Looks like I'm gonna have to tear down these bars with my bare hands, then," Natsu snarled, running at his barred gate and using his shoulder to try and put as much force as he could in. As soon as his shoulder connected, though, a screech of pain erupted from him as he was launched several feet back and onto the floor.

"Natsu!" I screamed, rushing forward to the bars separating us and reaching an arm through, wishing I could reach him. I didn't think about what they had just done to Natsu, but it surprised me that the bars separating him and me didn't do what the gate had done to Natsu.

Natsu groaned and rolled over, standing to his feet. "I'm... I'm okay... Just don't touch the bars."

"But these haven't done anything to me," I stated, indicating to the bars between us as worry filled my tone. Natsu seemed to be panting a bit.. When the Slayer saw that they weren't hurting me, he looked back at the gate and then to me.

"What the hell is this witch playing at?" he questioned, dusting himself off before coming back to me at the bars.

"I don't know," I said, trying to not let my voice become thick with tears. "Natsu, I don't know what she'll do with me but she'll keep you alive to feed off of you. You _have_ to resist whatever magic she uses to seduce you!"

"Don't worry," Natsu said in a calming tone. "There's no way I'd let that parasite touch me." Again, Natsu reached through the bars, his shoulders relaxing at not being harmed by the bars' touch as he grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers once more. Leaning his head forward to prop it on the bars, he said, "I'll figure out a way out of here. I'll figure out a way to kill that bitch. I knew this was a dangerous and long mission but this is starting to get _really_ old."

I had to agree with him on that. "We'll figure something out," I said, giving him a small smile as he lightly ran his thumb over my hand in a soothing circle. "We always do."

…..

It was impossible to tell the time because our only source of light was a few lit sconces on the walls outside the bars, but I knew it had been several hours since we had awoken, at least. Rather than sitting on the cold, hard floor to be close to each other, we moved our ratty cots right next to the bars where they were side-by-side. Natsu and I mostly passed the time by making possible, impossible, and even improbable theories on how to escape.

Eventually, we tired our ideas out, leaving us with talking about other things since we literally had nothing else to do. Natsu told me funny little stories about his time with Igneel, and I talked about my mom and how amazing she could be. It wasn't really anything we didn't know about each other, but we knew keeping our spirits high was crucial to getting us out of there.

It had been maybe eight hours since we woke up when there was a dire change of pace.

"Ohh, just look at you two," Fulvia's grating voice cooed as she came into site of our cells. "It always pains me to have to break up a relationship as adorable as you two's but... A goddess has to eat."

"We're not in a relationship!" Both Natsu and I yelled, though for the first time of us saying that, we said it much more nervously and with awkward expressions.

The goddess rolled her eyes at us before approaching Natsu's cell door. Natsu lowered his body, crouching in an attack position as awaiting his moment to spring free from his cell. The goddess was smart, however. As soon as her hand touched the gate, magical bindings burst forth from the wall behind him and bound his hands together in front of him. The moment Natsu tried to strain against the bindings, I heard a piercing shout escape his lips, causing him to go limp.

"Natsu!" I screamed in protest, grabbing the bars of my cell and looking him over frantically.

"He's fine, blondie," the goddess said with a drawl as she opened the cell door. Snapping her fingers, Natsu suddenly floated into the air a few inches and started moving towards Fulvia. "It's just a nullification charm with a little added non-resistance spell. If he struggles against the bindings, they'll incapacitate him for a moment with a nasty shock. However, he'll live. Now, no more talking. It's dinner-time and I haven't had something this delicious in a _long_ time."

With a smirk and a wink, the evil bitch walked out of my sight, an un-moving Natsu floating behind her.

"Natsu! No! You'll kill him! _Natsu!_ _**NO!**_ "

…..

I probably sat at the front of my cell on the cold stone floor for an hour, crying steadily as I looked for any sign of their return. In my fit of rage, I had thrown myself at my gate as well, causing me to be blasted against the opposite stone wall with a piercing screech of pain. When I realized that there was literally nothing I could do, I sat in my place by the gate and cried my heart out all the while looking unwaveringly in the direction they had left.

My tears had stopped for maybe ten minutes when I finally heard something. Yes, it was voices. And... Shouting? I couldn't make heads or tails of it until the culprits entered my line of sight. I gasped aloud, but the argument continued.

"It ain't my fault, lady! Maybe you shoulda thought about it _before_ making an ass out of yourself!" Natsu, who was once again floating behind Fulvia as she directed him back into his cell. He didn't look hurt, just angry and... _amused_?

Fulvia's face was twisted into one of rage as she slammed his gate shut, making my ears ring from the sound.

"You think I don't know that, fool?!" she snarled through the bars. "My powers _do_ work on Dragon Slayers!"

"Then what the hell was that all about then?!" Natsu asked viciously as his bindings removed themselves and Fulvia's spell lifted, dropping him to the floor.

"Not that it's any of your business, _you prudish brat_ , but if a Slayer has already found their mate, that magic trumps mine! So who is it? Little miss blonde over there?" Fulvia ranted scathingly, turning her head sharply to glare at me.

"N-no!" Natsu ground out immediately, getting as close to the bars as possible without touching them. "She's just my partner! My gir – my fiance is back home! D-don't go pickin' on _her_ just because you were stupid enough to try and seduce a Dragon Slayer!"

"I _told_ you, brat! My magic _works_ on Dragon Slayers! You're just the first one I've captured that has found its true mate." She said it in such a tone that sent shivers down my spine. How long did she live here? How many men had she killed for her sick pleasure?

And since when had Natsu found his true mate?

Clearing her throat loudly, Fulvia brushed herself off and patted her hair slightly, replacing her angry look with a sinister smile. "Anyway, it's not like it's the end of the world."

What the hell was she talking about? What was going on?

"I don't need to have sex to sustain me, just sexual energy. And you two reek of potential."

"Leave Lucy out of this!" Natsu snarled, his brain stopping him just in time before his fist smashed into a cell bar. Conditioning at its best.

"Oh, don't worry dear," she cooed, beginning to walk away. "If your mate is _truly_ back at home, then this won't affect _your friend_ at all."

With a sweep of her hand, Fulvia was suddenly out of sight.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I looked over at Natsu. He was furious, I could tell. Stalking to the back of his cell, he slammed his fist into the wall with an angry shout.

"N-Natsu?" I asked hesitantly, moving slowly to the bars that connected us. "What... What just happened?"

Natsu seemed to come back to reality at the sound of my voice. Immediately rushing to the bars, Natsu asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay! It's you – "

My words were cut short as soon as mine and Natsu's gaze met. His eyes widened as I saw the breath hitch in his chest.

That one look had me captivated, and I couldn't look away. Out of nowhere, the two of us were suddenly transported to what seemed like an entirely different dimension. Just the sight of the handsome man, with his pink hair tousled and messy and his green eyes shining brightly as they bore into mine, had been enough to freeze me in place so I could take in such a work of art. I felt a pool of warmth forming in my stomach as my gaze traveled down his perfectly sculpted body and back up again. I swallowed hard, absently licking my lips as I took in every angle and edge of the god-like man standing before me.

"Natsu..." I breathed out, pressing myself further into the bars as I gave him a pleading look. "What... What's going on? Why do I feel so weird all of a sudden?" I asked in a breathy voice.

A low rumble emitted from the Slayer's chest as he clenched his fists, not taking his eyes off me. "I..." he started, sounding very strained, "I don't... know... I... I feel it, too." Natsu had come so close to the bars that they were now the only things separating us.

An uncomfortable wave of heat washed over me as I looked at the predatory gaze Natsu was giving me. I wanted him. _God_ , I wanted him. If the bars hadn't been in the way, I would have pounced on the man, just like he looked like he wanted to do to me. His eyes were smoldering, staring deep into my brown orbs, straight to my soul. I hardly managed to register that my underwear was becoming damp, and my hands twitched to reach out and touch him.

"I can't... What's going... I want... I _need_ your touch..." I whined, my words broken as I tried to sort out my brain. Somewhere deep in my mind, there was a small voice trying to scream something at me, but the sound of rushing blood from my pounding heart drowned it out. I didn't know what to do. I wanted him. I _needed_ him. But we were separated and I couldn't latch onto him like I wanted. " _Natsu_ ," I moaned, anxiety building in my chest the more and more I stood there, just _wanting_ him. "I _need_ you."

Natsu roared into the air, his eyes reflecting lust and uncontrollable fire as his eyes snapped right back to me. He reached through the bars and grabbed my hands, pulling me as close to him as the bars would allow. " _Lucy_..." Natsu hissed out, letting his head rest on a bar as his hair darkened his eyes, one of his hands slipping down to my waist. His touch was like the sweetest of fires on one of the coldest of nights and I wanted to feel _so much more_. I could feel the strong grip he had on me, and I couldn't help but squeeze back just as hard, pressing further into the bars, into his touch. I was uncomfortable, and an itch at the apex of my thighs had begun that I couldn't seem to contain. I twisted my legs around a bit, trying to get some relief, but I could only slump against the bars in defeat.

I released Natsu's grip and flung myself sideways onto my cot with a frustrated cry, wrapping my arms around my midsection roughly. My nails bit into the back of my arms as I tried to make the feeling go away. I felt like I was burning up and Natsu was the only cold drink of water that I needed to make it stop. I could hear what was almost a whimper as Natsu crumpled down onto his cot in the same fashion, the two of us facing each other with expressions of pain.

"That... That fucking witch..." Natsu seethed through clenched teeth, not taking his eyes from me. His pupils were fully dilated, and I could see sweat forming on his brow. "She cast a spell on me... On _us_."

"Us?" I said in almost a moan, running my hands up and down my arms sensually, my body acting of its own accord to do something about its needs.

"She..." he ground out, balling up and fisting his hair in both his hands. "She put a spell on me... It's like... Like a lust spell... But it only... It only affects me... Me and my true... mate."

His words send a zap of electricity straight to my core, causing me to whimper a little louder as I writhed on my cot uncomfortably. At some point, Natsu and I had gravitated right in front of each other on our cots, only a couple inches of metal separating us. "So... So I'm...?" I asked in an almost pleading tone.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Lucy... I didn't know... I didn't know that... You are my true mate..." Natsu's chest was heaving for air as his arousal suddenly became visible to me. His pants were tented impressively, but instead of freaking out like I normally would, I just became even more turned on.

"So... So what... What does this mean?" I asked in-between gasps for air, reaching though the bars and tentatively stroking his hard, exposed chest. The feel of it made me shiver, and I couldn't get enough.

Natsu sucked in a loud gasp as soon as my hand touched his skin, and I swear I heard him cursing under his breath. "Just... Just like dragons... Slayers mate for life... But... But they also have... have what some... some call 'soul-mates'... Unless... Unless a Slayer is mated... They're... They're immediately bonded... If they find their true mate... Luce... Lucy... I didn't know... It was you..."

Right as he finished saying, that, his hand came through the bars and lightly cupped my jaw, running his thumb across my cheek almost lovingly. I could feel tears streaming across my face, but all I could do was lean into his warm hand while I traced the hard ridges of his chest. The wild feeling of lust had my mind completely clouded. "How... Why... Why did she do this...? And keeping us apart...? I feel like... Like I'll die if I don't have you..." My hair was already a tousled mess, and my clothes were askew as I breathed heavily. What I was experiencing was complete agony.

Gritting his teeth and clamping his eyes shut without removing his touch from my face, he said with pain lacing his voice, "I know. I... I feel it too... I'm... I need..." Opening his eyes, his dark orbs burned into mine with the intensity of a supernova. " _Fuck, I need you, Luce._ "

His gaze and his tone had me gasp aloud, a zing of pleasure shooting through me like electricity. I moaned lightly, clenching my thighs together as I wrapped my arms even tighter around myself. "What... What's going to happen...?" I asked with a a high-pitched whine.

Natsu snarled in response. "I... I don't know... She's got something planned... We just gotta push past this...!"

…..

It was hard to tell how long Natsu and I were under that spell. It must have been at least three days, because three different times, a basin of water would appear in each of our cells. No food was given to us, but it was obvious we weren't meant to die. Not yet, at least.

When the first basin of water appeared, I immediately grabbed it and poured it over myself, despite Natsu's protests. He was trying to tell me to save it to drink so I wouldn't dehydrate, but I couldn't help myself at the time. The Dragon Slayer seemed to have a bit more control over himself than I did, but not much. We couldn't help but maintain some kind of physical contact through the bars at all times, trying to fight the spell on us while keeping each other grounded at the same time. If there weren't cell bars keeping us apart, I was positive we would have done inexplicable things to each other.

By the end of what I assumed was somewhere around the third day, that bitch Fulvia decided to show her face again.

As Natsu and I gripped each others' hand tightly as we were pressed against the bars, our eyes locked, we heard the sound of heels clacking of the stone floor in our direction. We both looked up to watch as she sauntered in, her platinum curls bouncing with every step she took. Immediately, Natsu was on his feet and as close to the gate as possible.

"Take this spell off of us you evil bitch!" he snarled, even though it was clear his body still wanted to be elsewhere.

" _Oh_ ," she sneered, looking down at my completely flustered and tired form. It had been impossible for either of us to get much sleep.

"So she _is_ your true mate. This shall make my dining experience today _much_ more flavorful!"

* * *

 ** _PLEASE R &R AND LEAVE LOTS OF BIRTHDAY WISHES!_**


	17. Chapter 17

_**I'm sooo sorry for the long wait. Everything has been Hell. Anyways, I finally managed to get this chapter together for all of my fans, so enjoy! (Sorry it's not as long as most of my chapters but I promise some JUICY stuff.)**_

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

Everything was dark for a long stretch of time, though I could still feel the effects of the spell as fresh as when it was cast on me. ' _She's strong_ ,' I whined inwardly, having nothing but darkness with no clue where Natsu was. I needed him so badly that I felt I was going to implode if I didn't have his touch soon. I was under torture basically, being alone in the dark for hours, days... I didn't know anymore. I didn't care. I needed _Natsu_.

And just as abruptly as the darkness overcoming me, light was suddenly filtered beautifully through an open door to my right. Huh. And I thought I had been asleep.

Scrambling to my feet, I rushed for the door, praying to every deity I knew of that it wouldn't close before I could reach it. I barely registered my bare feet slapping against the ground, or the overly-tight top I was fitted with. I didn't care. I needed to find my dragon. Once I was through the door and out into the bright hall, I looked around frantically, though I hardly realized my odd surroundings (eyes only scanning for Natsu). He didn't seem to be anywhere in the lush room, which was decorated with several different kinds of furniture and silk and fur carpeting throughout the whole place.

"Natsu!" I called out, taking off towards the door I could see on the other side of the room. Before I could even get halfway across, the door opened, stopping me dead in my tracks. My enraged libido even seemed to falter a little as I worried it was that woman.

When the door fully opened, I waited for a couple of seconds before... Natsu emerged, and unharmed from what I could see. I thought I was going to melt as the feeling of dread in my chest dissipated, my hunger shooting back to the surface of my being.

"Natsu!" I cried out as I took off at a sprint once more, this time aiming for the Dragon Slayer. When his handsome dark green orbs landed on me, his face cracked into a massive grin.

Mimicking me, he rushed towards me as he yelled out, "Lucy!" Everything almost seemed to happen in slow motion. I couldn't get to him fast enough, and it seemed to take eons to finally reach him.

My eyes were a little teary as we collided, my arms quickly wrapping around his waist as I buried my face in his chest. His arms enveloped me without hesitation, one wrapping around my waist as the other fisted in my (somehow clean) hair, pulling me close into him. With my head on his chest, I could feel and hear his heart beating erratically. To be honest, I was sure he could hear and feel mine just the same. Managing to not let any tears fall, I removed my face from his sculpted chest to look up at him. When he felt me move, he looked down to meet my gaze.

Everything, all the torment and pressure and agony, finally seemed to come to an end as his mouth crashed down upon mine in an exquisite frenzy. I gasped into his mouth, but only because it was a new sensation for me. I'd never been kissed before, so the feel of it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Not even a second later, my gasp turned into a moan of complete arousal as we rushed forward in our act. I could feel Natsu's tongue sliding against my bottom lip asking for entry, and there was nothing in the world that told me to deny him.

My thoughts refused to stray from anywhere but the man in my arms, his hot lips beginning to trail kisses across my jaw and to my neck. I saw everything in the room, but it was like the background of boring pictures. The room was covered in red and black, with the beds and couches and ottomans and all other sorts of furniture laying carelessly throughout the room. I was wearing an impossibly tight white corset and a white thong that barely covered my trimmed privates. Natsu was only in his white pants and scarf, which wasn't new to me but almost made me go insane at that moment.

A slight movement from my left peripherals showed that absolute bitch, Fulvia, laid up in a comfy chair behind what looked like some sort of magical barrier. But I still couldn't focus on that.

Moving my hands from Natsu's waist, I slid one up his back and into his hair to press the kiss closer while the other came in front of me to feel his rippling abdomen. I could hear what almost seemed like a low, content growl emit from deep in his chest, which sent a bolt of electrifying thrill through me. He maintained his light grip on my hair as he tilted my head to the side, his trail of kisses making their way down my neck and to that intensely sensitive spot. I couldn't control myself as I finally threw my head back and groaned loudly in absolute pleasure.

"Mmm, yes! I knew this would be a fantastic meal!" I could see and hear Fulvia as she said that, barely registering that she was touching herself. However, my thoughts were still on having Natsu.

Natsu growled a bit more loudly, but it sounded possessive, maybe a little crazed. At that moment, he swiftly leaned down and wrapped his scorching lips around that sensitive spot where my neck and shoulder met and bit down. If he broke the skin, I wouldn't have known because it caused a quickly coiling spring to appear in my nether-regions. The bite only lasted for a moment before I suddenly felt myself being picked up and thrown onto a nearby bed with black and red silk sheets. In no time at all, Natsu was on top of me, his excitement rubbing tightly against my barely-covered core. His lips came back down upon mine as our hands explored one another greedily. The coil in my pit wound tighter as the sensual touches and addictive kisses continued.

Breaking away for another moment for air, I used both hands to grip the Slayer by his salmon-colored hair and have him look at me, inches from my face. A plethora of emotions seemed to filter through his darkened gaze, and just the way he was looking at me almost sent me over the edge. "Oh, _Natsu_!"

Our lips clashed once more and our hands resumed their exploring. Just the feel of the incredibly strong wizard's muscles turned me on, but with everything else added, I was one hundred percent positive I'd never felt so good in my entire life.

With a pained snarl, Natsu whined, " _Lucy_!"

I felt Natsu as one hand gripped the top of my corset and easily ripped it away, exposing myself but allowing me to breathe a bit more properly again. My back arched at the chilly air, but it didn't last long as I felt two impossibly warm hands envelope what they could of my well-endowed breasts. I couldn't stop the small screech that escaped me as I felt the thong I was wearing become more soaked than ever before.

"Yes, yes! Keep going my little sex dolls!" I heard Fulvia cry out while furiously pleasuring herself.

Natsu suddenly gave an experimental squeeze of my chest, causing me to gasp Natsu's name aloud.

And then things took a turn for the worst. Though Natsu's touch was soft and gentle, I couldn't stop the images of those men in Faebridge crossing my visage as each one took their turn feeling me up. Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I looked back at Natsu. That's when I noticed we had both come to a stand-still as Natsu looked intensely into my eyes. After a couple of moments of the two of us staring at one another, Natsu finally roared loudly as he jumped from the bed, facing Fulvia.

"You fucking bitch! Look what you made me do!" he screamed out at her with fury, indicating to me.

Fulvia stopped her lewd display to look at him. "You threw off my spell?! Insolent little... Well, it looks to _me_ like I was helping you about to life-long mate yourself to your true mate. You should be thanking me for giving you this wonderful opportunity!"

"You're goddamn twisted, you know that, lady?"he roared. "She was just assaulted by a bunch of men only a little while back! And now she was just assaulted by me too because of you! But I've thrown off your weak little curse, and now Lucy's free too. You may as well have dug your own grave." Natsu was past being at the point of angry, and had stepped onto a whole different level. And he was right. I was feeling normal again, asides from the absurd wetness that lingered in my underwear. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Natsu flames came out so hotly that they almost glowed blue in the white.

"Your pitiful magic won't penetrate my shield, you simpleton!" Fulvia cried out suddenly as she stood. Natsu's flames hit her barrier, and I think all three of us were shocked to see it crack on impact. "What?! Impossible!'

"You forced me to do despicable things to my best friend! You made me do the same things those fucking rapists did to her! I – I will NOT let you do that to her!" he screamed out in rage as his Roar kept caving in her barrier.

"No!" she cried out, throwing her hands on front of her. Natsu's blast finally broke through, and the furious flames engulfed the goddess in an instant. We both listened and watched as she screamed and disintegrated into ash.

Once the air had cleared, Natsu turned to look at me with panic dancing across his features in a craze. Noticing that my top was gone and that my thong was covering basically nothing, I grabbed a nearby red and black silk sheet and wrapped it around myself quickly. "N – Natsu, you... You did it. You killed her!"

In the next heartbeat, Natsu was back on the bed, leaning over me closely as he gently moved different parts of me around, scrutinizing every inch of me that he could see. "Fuck, Luce, I'm _so_ goddamn sorry. I... I never should have... _Fuck_ , I'm just as low as those – "

"Natsu, no!" I stopped him, lightly putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him away a bit. Making him look me in the eye, I said firmly, "None of this is your fault! We were _both_ under that spell! I... I had full intentions of doing... _everything_... to you, too! So if you're as bad as those men, then so am I! And... And it felt... It felt incredible because it was _you_ who..."

Natsu stared at me, the intensity of his gaze almost making me want to melt. But I think I was still in too much of shock. After what seemed like several minutes of Natsu taking me in, his gaze finally softened as sadness seemed to briefly pass over his features. "Your... Your neck..." Reaching out, I felt as he ran his thumb lightly over the spot where he bit me. I could feel wetness there, which disproved my doubts of him not breaking the skin.

Reaching my own hand up to grab his, I gave him a confused look. "What about it? It's just a small bite. I'm sure – "

"No," Natsu said quickly, not removing his hand from that spot on my neck. "You're neck... I... I _marked_ you. It... That means it's true..."

"Means what is true?"

"I... That you're... my true mate. You, you can't see it, but... the mark has cast my name in ancient Draconian... That only happens when..."

"When you've marked your true mate..." I breathed out almost disbelievingly. "You... You never mentioned marking before... What does... What does it mean?" I asked as I touched the blood dampened spot, still clutching the sheet around me with my other hand.

Natsu frustratedly ran his hand through his hair as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't know... Not for sure, anyway. It's original purpose was to ward off any other males... It shows that you belong... That you're supposed to belong to me."

Clutching the sheet tighter, I looked down into my lap almost blankly. "So... So it's kind of like a promise or engagement ring?"

Natsu turned quickly to look at me, surprise jumping across his features. "Wha – Well, yeah... I guess. If we were already mated, it would be permanent. Since we didn't mate, though... It's basically a claim until mated. If the mark isn't replaced every couple of weeks, it will fade... Until we're mated. Does it... Did it hurt?"

Biting my lip, I couldn't help but hold Natsu's intense gaze as our breathing seemed a bit labored. "N-No... It felt... _indescribable_. Did... Did you mean to...?"

With a bit of a pink flush creeping to his cheeks, Natsu responded nervously, "I... Yeah... I was... Until I saw that look on your face, I had... I had every intention of mating you right then. God, Lucy, I'm _so_ fucking sorry – "

"No, no!" I stumbled out, reaching out to grab Natsu by the arm. Tucking the sheet decently around me, I finally freed my other hand to grab his other arm and pull Natsu to me in a tight hug. Burying my face into his neck, I said, "You... I wanted you every bit as much. It... It may have been the spell, but... I don't regret anything. If we had gone through with it, I wouldn't have been upset. The most... The most upset I am right now... Is that we had to be under a spell for me to get my first kiss." Leaning my head back, I looked down as I absently touched my lips. "I'd never been kissed before... Until tonight. Until you. And I don't know if it was the spell or what but it was... _amazing_."

Natsu used one finger to cup under my chin so he could bring my gaze up to meet his again. His eyes were almost smoldering once again. "Do... Do you want to... Try without the spell?"

My eyes widened as my breath hitched in my throat. So even without the spell, he still wanted to kiss me. And after what we had just done, maybe a kiss of our own consent would have been a nice way to... Unwind ourselves from what we'd almost done.

Nodding my head slowly, I drifted my eyes close as I felt Natsu gently pull my face towards his. Within only a moment, I felt his soft, searing hot lips brush mine, causing my mind to completely melt on contact. I pressed my lips in further to his, reveling in the smokey, sweet taste that was my Dragon Slayer. As he had before, I felt his tongue asking for entrance, which I allowed again. Feeling his appendage dancing sensually with mine, I couldn't stop the moan bubbling up from my chest. This made Natsu growl as he applied more pressure to the kiss, smashing our lips together as we both slowly worked up to a mild frenzy.

Finally pulling back to gasp for air, I opened my eyes to meet the predatory stare of the Fire Dragon Slayer. His eyes were hooded, chest heaving as his grip on my shoulders didn't relent. I felt flushed, slightly dizzy almost. Whatever I felt during our kissing under the spell had definitely _not_ been because of the spell. Natsu was every bit of everything I had been pining for and more, even from before the spell.

"Wow," I breathed out in a shaky tone. "I... I guess it _wasn't_ the... the spell..."

Quirking a cocky smirk, Natsu said, "I'm that good, huh?"

Feeling my eyes narrow at him slightly, I replied, "Maybe _I_ was that good, jerk. But.. yeah... That was... _Incredible_."

"I can't deny it, Luce," Natsu said, standing from the bed and offering me his hand. "I've never felt anything like that before. Even with Lisanna... It was never _anything_ like that... I liked it. I liked it a lot..."

"So...?" I said curiously as I stood and adjusted the sheet covering me, suddenly feeling very exposed and self-conscious.

"So I guess I'm saying..." Natsu said with a small waver, not removing his green orbs from mine, "... is that I _want_ you. I _want_ you as my best friend, as my partner, as my g-girlfriend... Lucy, I want you as my _mate_."

My heart seemed to skip a beat as I felt my chest suddenly freeze. My jaw dropped slightly, my eyes stuck in his as I ran over his words in my head. He just basically asked me – well, _told_ me – that he wanted me. He wanted me as his mate. And dragon's mate for life, which meant... Was he basically asking me to marry him?"You... You want me as your mate?" I asked in a small voice, eyes almost shining.

"I... Yeah..." he said, sounding a bit surprised by himself. Grabbing both my hands to look down at me, he said, "I've never wanted anyone or anything like I want you. Like I've _wanted_ you. But I know... I know we need to take it slow... So much has happened – too much. So if you feel the same... Will you have me? When the time comes, will you let me make you mine? Do you... Do you feel the same?"

I could feel my heart throbbing almost painfully in my chest as it seemed like all of my dreams were coming true. Natsu wanted me! Natsu _wanted_ me! Tears thickened my voice as I tried to keep them from coming to my eyes. "I... Of course... I want you too, Natsu. I... I would love to be yours! It's just... well, we almost got ourselves in a bad situation because we were distracted by each other. We... We need to find this fourth clue and rescue the rest of the people captured here so we can finish this mission. It's been... It's been very dangerous and we can't afford to get distracted..."

"Luce," Natsu said gently, pulling me into a strong, soul-warming hug. Bringing his lips onto the top of my head, he said, "I've been distracted by you since I basically met you. We'll finish this mission just as we've been doing. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do, just as long as we're together. We don't have to make any final decisions until you're ready."  
Feeling myself blush furiously, I buried my face into his still-bare chest and inhaled his intoxicating scent. "I think I already know my final decision, but... But I still think it'll be best if we wait until after this mission. Just in case... Just in case something happens..."

Pulling back from me, Natsu gave me a curious look with a hint of mischief. "Like what? In case you find another man?"

"No... In case... In case one of us dies..."

Silenced seemed to suddenly bury us in that room as Natsu pulled me to him once more.

After a long few minutes of just being in one anothers' arms, Natsu finally mumbled into my hair, " _Nothing_ will happen to _either_ of us. I _promise_. And then, if you'll let me, I _will_ make you mine."

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 _ **PLEASE read and review so I know that my readers haven't abandoned me! I love all of you and seeing reviews in my inbox makes me the happiest (and most motivated) person in the world! Lots of love to all of you!**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Short chapter again, but I needed to get this chapter out so the ball could get rolling to destination number four! Enjoy!**_

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 **Chapter 18**

"Land! Wonderful, sweet, glorious _land_!" Natsu gushed as he dropped his pack to the ground and basically tried to hug the dirty cobblestone street.

We'd finally made it back from Dragoste Island with all the men who had been captured and survived. Unfortunately, we were unable to save all of them. Most had been there for who knew how long, and had been dried up for quite some time. It was saddening, but we couldn't focus on that. We found the clue to our next destination while exploring the fort, but we didn't have time to read it yet as we were busy trying to save whomever we could. (We got _amazingly_ lucky when we found my keys just hanging in Fulvia's apparent personal quarters.) Once we and the rescued men hit the dock to Oakheart, Natsu immediately grabbed me by the arm and hopped from the ship, taking us as far away from the boat as possible and deep into the town. It had been a few weeks since the incident in Faebridge but we were sure the Royal Guard wouldn't be happy to see Fairy Tail members not too far from where the debacle occurred, and we were positive that the ship's crew had already called ahead to inform them they had men who had been rescued after being missing for some time.

Huffing from our sprint, I grabbed Natsu by his vest and tugged at him to get up from the ground. Looking around, I noticed that Natsu had dragged us all the way to the front of the Inn we had stayed at before. Cringing inwardly at the thought of the rude man at the counter, I looked at Natsu. "Okay, we're really low on supplies, so I'm about to head into the market and stock up some. If you will, you can go ahead and get us a room so you can shower and have it open for me when I get back. Sound good?"

Natsu, still looking a tad green from the boat ride, gave me a nervous glance. "Then food. Are... Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Oh, don't start _this_ now. Just because I... Just because we now share a... _special_... type of bond doesn't mean you get to hover over me and treat me like I'm some helpless little girl. I'm a wizard too! I got this!"

With that, I stomped away to the market, leaving Natsu seeming a little dumbfounded behind me in the street.

…

The market had been so crowded that it took me until a while after dark to get back to the Inn. I was completely wiped out after that venture (and the past several days), and I only had a mind for a nice hot shower. As I stepped inside the Inn, I breathed a sigh of relief that the rude man wasn't at the counter. This time, it was some young girl. After speaking to her hurriedly to find out which room Natsu had gotten us, I made a beeline straight for it. Knocking on the door, I said tiredly, "Natsu, it's me."

Within the next second, the door to the room opened and there was the pink-haired man himself, looking freshly cleaned. My tired mind couldn't process his uneasy demeanor, though. "Thank God, Luce! It started getting kinda late. I was starting to... Uh... Yeah, nevermind, that just took longer than I expected."

Groaning unintelligibly, I zombie-walked past Natsu into the room. Dropping all of my items to the floor, I didn't even have the energy to say anything else as I went straight into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind me, I turned the hot water on and began stripping.

"Luce, you okay?" I heard Natsu ask through the door.

Using every ounce of willpower I possessed to not become disgruntled with the concerned Slayer, I replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just really tired. I'll be right out."

The hot water of my shower felt like a gift from the heavens as it washed away the grime of... _everything_. I could have stayed under the overly-warm stream forever it seemed, but after about forty-five minutes, it began losing its luster as it started running cold. Finally giving up, I got out and dried off.

Looking around the bathroom, I realized I hadn't even brought a change of clothes with me in there. I was perked up a bit by the shower, but not enough for me to care about walking into the room in just a towel. It was clear by that point that Natsu and I were going to keep seeing each other in those kinds of situations no matter what we did anyways.

After drying my hair the best I could, I wrapped the towel around me and exited the bathroom. Once I focused a bit on my surroundings, I stopped in my tracks. Natsu was sitting on what looked to be a Queen sized bed... And it was the only bed in the room.

"What the...?" I said confusedly, holding the towel to myself.

"Lucy, you..." Natsu said at the exact same time, standing to his feet.

"Why is there only one bed?!"

"Why are you only wearing a towel?!"

Feeling myself flush slightly, I said with a little bit of shame, "I forgot to take some clothes in with me! Now turn around while I grab some and you can explain why there's only one bed!"

Natsu cocked a befuddled eyebrow at me, his gaze occasionally flickering to different areas of my body in a slightly obvious way. "Why should I have to turn around? It's not something I haven't seen before..."

Feeling myself steam up, I said, "Then why were you making a fuss about my towel if 'it's not something you haven't seen before'? And quit dodging _my_ question!"

"I wasn't making a fuss," he denied, his eyes roaming over my body once more. "It's just... After spending all that time under that... _spell_... your body just... _does_ something to me. I hadn't expected you to be so... accepting of our situation so quickly. I hadn't expected to see you in something so... seductive... so soon." When he said it like that, I could actually see the hunger growing in his eyes where I couldn't before. Oh...

I was sure my face was red as a tomato as I realized he wasn't going to turn away from me. His words sent tingles down my spine, and I knew he wasn't wrong. After spending all that time in a sexual frenzy for one another, it was nearly impossible to force our mind and bodys' reactions to go back to normal around one another.

"I... Well, okay, I guess I get that..." I said in a slightly sheepish tone, grabbing my bag from the floor. "But when I get dressed and get back out here, you better have an explanation for _this_ ," I finished dangerously, indicating to the large bed as I stalked back into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Once I re-emerged from the bathroom wearing my silk pajama shorts and silk tank top, I dropped my bag back to the floor and stood in front of Natsu (who was sitting on the bed), placing my hands on my hips.

"Alright. Explain."

Natsu looked at me a bit nervously. "The old man said it was the only room left! There's apparently some kind of festival this weekend so this was the only room open. I... I can sleep on the floor. It's not a big deal or anything."

Looking at Natsu's overwhelmed face, it was right at that moment that I realized exactly how much of a bitch I was being. It _was_ surprising to see only one bed and not two in our hotel room but it wasn't the _first_ time. We had actually slept in the same bed together _numerous_ times. So what was the big deal?

' _Everything's changed, now. Both of our feelings for each other are out in the open, which makes it a little awkward. But... What's the harm? He already promised to take things slow and isn't gonna push me into anything I'm not ready for. He even said he would sleep on the floor for Christ's sake and I would never be so callous towards someone. Especially now that I might become that_ someone's _mate anyways. So why am I trying to get angry?_ '

Smiling as I covered my face and shook my head, a small laugh escaped me. Pulling my hand away to look at a very confused Natsu, I giggled and said, "It's alright, Natsu. We've shared the same bed before. It's not the end of the world."

Natsu's jaw suddenly dropped as his eyes almost fell out of his head. "Wh – what? But – But I thought you were pissed! You – you – "

"Natsu," I said calmly, sitting on the bed next to him as I looked down at my lap. "It's fine. I was just half-asleep and surprised is all. And I would never make you sleep on the floor. We've... We've slept in the same bed together before, so why should this be any different?" I peeked over at Natsu through my wet hair, and I could see the somewhat shocked look covering his features. "What?" I asked suddenly, feeling my cheeks redden at the thought of accidentally having said something embarrassing. "Did I say something wrong – ?"

"No!" Natsu blurted out, waving his hands in front of him. "No, I'm just... I'm glad." He smiled at me a bit anxiously. "Even though we agreed to hold off on... _us_... I guess, I still think it would be nice... To at least sleep next you..."

I felt my heart warm at that, but then my exhaustion overrode everything by letting out a massive yawn. Avoiding looking at Natsu so he wouldn't see my reddened cheeks, I stood up and walked around the bed. "Speaking of sleep," I yawned again, rubbing my eyes tiredly as I pulled the covers back. "I need some. I don't know how long we were there, but I know I didn't sleep almost the whole time."

"I know," I heard Natsu say almost quietly as he followed suit, turning the light off before sliding under the blankets on the other side of the bed. There was easily three feet of open bed separating us, with the two of us turned to face one another. The moon shone through the window behind me, illuminating Natsu's face where I could see him looking at me, his eyes soft but tired-looking. "Goodnight, Lucy."

"Goodnight..."

Silence overcame the darkened room as I closed my eyes, inviting sleep to come for me.

"Luce?"

Natsu's voice cut through the silence, almost startling me. Opening my eyes to look at him again, I could see his brow furrowed with a hint of worry. "Yeah?"

Natsu's features changed, and it was obvious he was uncomfortable. "Um... I just... I'm sorry. I... I stole your first kiss. I'm sure I stole a lot of firsts from you because of that spell. And I'm just... I'm really sorry. You should never have had to go through that. You deserve your firsts to be special."

The Slayer looked rather sad in the low glow of the moonlight, and the sight just about broke my heart. "Oh, Natsu, no..." Reaching a hand across the empty space between us, I rested it on his arm in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. "Don't apologize for what happened in that place anymore. Please. Neither of us could control anything that happened."

Natsu brought his hand up and covered mine with his, squeezing it lightly. Biting his lower lip, he said almost darkly, "But I _did_ have control. I managed to throw off her curse. I was _obviously_ capable but I didn't try hard enough! I could have avoided doing... all those things to you."

"Natsu, please stop," I begged as I moved towards him, putting less than a foot between the two of us. "That's not how your magic works and you know it. Everything we did with each other... We both wanted it, with or without the spell. The spell just basically gave us no choice. I don't even know how, but you threw off the curse the exact moment that I started feeling uncomfortable with everything. With that in mind, I'm not regretting what we did at all."

Natsu's eyes seemed to furrow a bit as he seemed to think back. "I just... I saw the look on your face... Right after I... Right after I began feeling your... breasts... you got this look. Like you were remembering something. It didn't look good. I guess I just put two and two together. I... It made me so angry at _myself_ for what I was doing that I finally shed the curse to make it stop. But I still..."

"See?" I said, cutting him off. "Even _without_ knowing, you knew how far you couldn't go. You knew exactly what I needed. And even though I'm _never_ as bold as I was under that spell, everything we did was what I already wanted to do to you. We may not have had much control, but I'm... I'm more than grateful that it was with _you_. I don't care under what circumstances, so long as my firsts are with _you_."

Natsu's eyes seemed to lighten up a little, which caused a small smile to pass tiredly over my lips. "You're really amazing, Lucy. Now get some sleep. We have all the time in the world to talk later." Without warning, Natsu had positioned himself where he had his arms around me in a cuddling fashion.

I started to protest considering how inappropriate it was, but the tired part of me that didn't care enjoyed the warmth and comfort too much to protest.

"'Night, Natsu," I mumbled as I felt myself fading fast, letting my head rest oh his muscled chest.

"'Night, Luce."

…

The next morning came and went as Natsu and I continued sleeping until the afternoon. We were both pretty wiped out, so it was kind of necessary. When I finally roused, I noted that we were both entangled in one another, but I had never been so comfortable in my life. Just the feeling of Natsu next to me gave me the strong sensation of security, and my heart felt as though it would burst from happiness. Even if the prior few days had been Hell, mine and Natsu's declarations easily wiped our terrible time from my mind.

I laid in Natsu's arms for several minutes, just reveling in the feel of it, until I finally decided it was time for the both of us to get moving. There was a fourth riddle in my bag waiting for us to look at.

After a few tugs, I finally managed to free one of my hands so I could shake Natsu awake. "Natsu. Natsu, it's time to get up."

I got a loud snore in response.

"Nope, not today, mister!" I said as I used all the force I had to shake the Dragon Slayer. "Natsu! It's past noon! We need to get some food and start working on this – "

Of course "food" was the word I should have used right off the bat. Natsu's eyes snapped open as he looked around wildly. "Food! Food? L... Lucy?"

Natsu backed up from his hold on me a little to look at me in confusion. His arms were still around me, and our legs were tangled together, my bare ones smooth against his. "Good morning, princess," I said teasingly, smiling at him.

Everything seemed to come back to him, because Natsu finally relaxed but maintained our position. Looking at me sleepily, he said, "'Morning. Sleep good?"

Face flushing in only the slightest, I said, "I don't think I've ever slept better in my life. No wonder people like to... _cuddle_."

"Yeah, this is pretty great," I heard him yawn out tiredly. Finally letting me go, Natsu sat up and rubbed his eyes. "So, food?"

…

After pigging out at the restaurant a couple of blocks down, Natsu and I went back to our hotel room to start work on the riddle. Sitting in the middle of the bed facing Natsu, I held the crumpled parchment in front of me and read aloud,

" _Blinding white in all directions,_

 _Will make it easy for one to fall;_

 _This tiny place could be a prison,_

 _For a child or for a doll;_

 _This fourth destination,_

 _Could cause devastation,_

 _If one doesn't know the way;_

 _Just follow the clues,_

 _Or the Sleipnirs' hooves,_

 _Or you won't see light_

 _For several days._ "

All Natsu and I could manage was to look at each other, both dumbfounded.

* * *

 _ **Please leave a review! I know this chapter was kinda messy but I still love feedback! If I get enough motivation, I can probably have the next chapter out within the week!**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**And I'm back. Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Things will take an interesting turn in this chapter.**_

* * *

"What on Earthland is a _Sleipnir_?" I asked as I furrowed my brow at the paper. Natsu just shrugged his shoulders at my question to myself as we continued walking. The most we had gotten from the riddle so far was that it was somewhere north ( _"Blinding white in all directions."_ ), so Natsu and I didn't waste much time before setting out, especially when the Royal Guard showed up and started asking the residents questions.

At the moment, the two of us were walking a trail that lead to a northern town called Snowkeep, which was about two weeks of walking away (we had already been traveling for one of those weeks). Thinking back on my question, I couldn't help but be resentful of leaving Oakheart so quickly. I could have at least figured out what a damn Sleipnir was before we started a journey that would leave us without intellectual resources for two weeks.

"I dunno, Luce," Natsu yawned, stretching his arms behind him. "It sounds familiar but not enough to ring a bell."

Frowning at the parchment in my hand, I folded it once more and slipped it into the pocket of my keys-holder. Looking up, I could see the crystal clear sky as it was overcome with darkness. The stars shone brightly, and the full moon filtered beautifully down upon us. There was a slight chill in the air, and innumerable nocturnal wildlife could be heard all around us. "It's getting late, Natsu," I said, not taking my eyes from the stars above us. "We should probably set up camp."  
Natsu must have been thinking the same thing, because I suddenly bumped into him from behind as my gaze was focused on the sky. Natsu snatched my hand before I stumbled backwards, saving me from embarrassment. "Oh! Sorry! Thanks.."

"Clumsy," he mumbled, sending a smirk my way. "But yeah, you're right. There's a clearing up ahead. Looks like it'll work."

"Right," I said, nodding my head. Adjusting the strap of my bag, I followed Natsu to the spot and started our routine of making a camp and getting dinner ready.

…

About two hours and a miserably full Natsu later found us laid out on a blanket as we looked up at the stars. It was something Natsu and I did often, and he seemed genuinely interested in the constellations. Of course I had already pointed out all the Zodiacs I could to him multiple times, so I was busy showing him the lesser known ones.

"See the three stars perfectly lined up in a row? That's Orion's belt. The reddish star above the first one is his right shoulder, Betelgeuse. It's flickering because it's developing into a supernova. It's so far away, it could already be gone and we wouldn't know for a long, long time. And over there is the dolphinfish, Dorado..."

"Shh," Natsu's voice cut through suddenly. Shutting up, I looked over at Natsu questioningly. His expression was one of intense focus. After only a moment of watching him, he suddenly leapt into the air and dragged me with him. "Something's heading right for us." Taking a whiff of the air, he continued, "Humans. Maybe bandits."

That put me on my guard. Setting my stance, I gripped my keyring as I listened for what Natsu could hear. Natsu placed himself right beside me, his body rigid and ready to pounce. After only a few moments of us on our guard, I finally heard what Natsu did. Footsteps, and mens' voices.

"... Is that a campfire?"

I heard Natsu suck in a sharp breath next to me. He had clearly forgotten to eat the fire to make us invisible.

"Yeah, sure is," another voice said, even closer.

Natsu and I stood stock still as we waited for the men to come into sight. My heart was pounding in my ears as I grabbed a key and held it at the ready. Within just a minute, we finally saw movement.

"Gyah!" Natsu cried out, attacking.

"Open! Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!"

As the golden magic began swirling around us, both me and Natsu were cut off by the cries of the men.

"Please, wizards! We do not wish to harm you!"

I froze in place for a moment as Cancer appeared beside me. Natsu seemed stuck too as he was paused in place with his fist raised. In the next second, three men stepped into view of the firelight, illuminating them enough to see that they were clearly not bandits.

The were royalty.

The breath hitched in my chest as Natsu stood straight. With a small squeaky voice, I said, "Cancer, you can go."

"Right on, Ebi." And he fizzled out.

Standing before us were three men. They were all dressed very casually, but I recognized the crimson haired man in the middle immediately. Frantically dropping into a bow, I stuttered out, "We're s-s-so sorry, your highness! We thought you were bandits!"

Natsu, clueless as ever, stood there and faced me. Using his thumb to point to the men in confusion, he said, "Yo, Luce. You know these guys? Did you hurt your back or something?"

Reaching out and grabbing Natsu harshly by the collar of his vest, I yanked him down towards me and hissed through a low voice, "Natsu! This is Prince Alexander of Alryne! Show some respect!"

"Oh, a prince?" Natsu said casually, standing up straight to look at the red-haired man. Prince Alexander was actually a very good-looking man, and probably just as young as we were. I could only assume the two men with him were his guards. It didn't take a genius to figure out why they were dressed as commoners.

"My apologies for my comrade, your majesty," I said, bowing quickly once more. Prince Alexander's astonishing green eyes only shone more brightly because of the extreme red hue of his hair. His smirk did not go unnoticed by me as I apologized for Natsu's rudeness, but I was a little star-struck by the overly handsome man standing before me.

"It's quite alright," Prince Alexander said with an amused smile, nodding to me. His voice was like woven silk. "You're actually the first person we've encountered on the road who's recognized me."

"Oh!" I said in surprise, a blush appearing on my cheeks. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to blow your cover."

"You apologize too much," the prince laughed, relaxing his stance as his comrades did the same. "I'm just more impressed that you recognized me. I stay out of the media as often as possible."

"Oh!" I said, blushing again as I covered my mouth with my hands. "I... I just remember you from a... a Gala a few years ago. That my father hosted."

"My word!" the prince exclaimed, shoving a completely lost Natsu to the side as he came within a couple feet to get a good look at me. "Lady Lucy Heartfilia! I didn't recognize you!" Prince Alexander swiftly grabbed my hand and brought the back of it to his lips in a chaste kiss. "My sincerest of apologies to hear about your father. And I never thought I would get to see his beautiful daughter again, either."

I brought my hand away as my face just maintained a slow burn. I had only met the prince once but it was shortly before I ran away – needless to say, I was so sulky at the time that I didn't stick around that Gala very long before escaping to my room. "Um, thank you, your highness," was all I could think to say.

"Please, call me Xander. Especially when I'm undercover," he smirked, giving me a slight wink.

A low growl came from behind me, and suddenly I was brought back to the present. Stepping back from the prince, I looked at Natsu. "Um, sorry, where are my manners? Prince Alexander, this is my friend, Natsu Dragneel. When I... _left_ home, Natsu got me into the Fairy Tail guild!" I proudly showed my emblem on my hand.

When the prince's gaze landed on Natsu, his eyes seemed to droop slightly. "Please, Xander. And it's nice to meet you, Mr. Dragneel. My apologies for intruding on your camp. It seems I startled you two quite a bit."

Natsu, crossing his arms and stepping forward to where he was between me and the prince, smirked. "Nice to meet you too, Prince. Lucy and I have been partners for so long that's it's difficult to remember that she _had_ a stuffy, rich life before we met."

Wow. Right from the start. Hostile.

"Well, either way," I said nervously as I came between the two men before the prince's guards sensed my Slayer's insolence. "This was just a pleasant surprise! Natsu and I just set up camp for the night. We're headed to Snowkeep on a mission."

"Snowkeep?" the prince asked with an amused smile. "My comrades and I happen to be headed that way as well. Care to make it a party? There's safety in numbers, you know."

Before I could respond, Natsu positioned me behind him again as he responded, "Sorry, pal, but we're on a job. We can't have outside sources."

"I can certainly honor that," the prince said, lighting Natsu's face up in a winning grin. "However, if I'm not mistaken, it is not against the rules as long as we do not assist or interfere in your mission. I have several guilds in my territory, so I'm privy to most of the rules. So, what do you say? Traveling partners for the next week? It could never hurt to have more around to defend the lovely Lady Lucy."

Xander held his hand out to Natsu, who looked at it as though it were Gray's. Gritting his teeth in defeat, Natsu grasped his hand in a swift, binding shake. "Fine. But it's just _Lucy_. She left your world for a reason. And she can protect herself just fine, even if I wasn't here to make sure she's okay."

All the while I just stood there, almost overwhelmed by the amount of testosterone thickening in the air as the two handsome men stared at each other almost challengingly. I didn't understand. Did Natsu see a threat that I didn't? Every time I had ever interacted with the prince, he had been nothing but a gentleman and extremely nice. Either way, I chalked it up to Natsu's distrust of strangers, whether they were royalty or not.

"Great!" I cut in. "So, we tend to not use a tent unless it's cold or raining, so don't worry when you see us sleeping out here on the ground. I'm sure you have a much more luxurious way you prefer to camp."  
"You sleep outside on the ground, Lucy?" Xander asked incredulously as he indicated for his two guards to begin setting up their equipment next to ours. "That's no way for a lady to camp."

"Well, like Natsu said," I said, rubbing my mark on my hand nervously as I sat down on mine and Natsu's blanket. Natsu followed suit, sitting next to me _very_ closely. "I'm not exactly a 'lady' anymore, am I? I'm not Lucky Lady Lucy Heartfilia anymore. I'm Lucy of Fairy Tail. And as a wizard, this is part of the job description."

Xander motioned to one of his men, who promptly brought a large pillow over for the prince to sit on facing us. Groan. "Still, a woman of such beauty and standing should never have to sleep in such atrocious conditions. Perhaps you would rather join me in my tent for the next week? It's only going to get colder the further we walk."

Before I could even open my mouth to respond, Natsu seemed to almost snarl, "If it gets too cold, we _have_ a tent, thanks."

Xander looked between Natsu and myself a couple of times before asking hesitantly, "Are you two... _more_ than just guildmates?"

My face immediately turned about as red as the prince's hair.

"We, um..."

"Not like it's any of your _business_..."

"It's complicated," I said, cutting Natsu off before he could be even more rude to the prince. "It's not exactly something we wish to divulge to almost a complete stranger. Remember, your highness, we've only met once before."

The prince's face split into a massive grin, his green eyes sparkling in the firelight. "It's quite alright, _Lucy_. I did not intend to pry." Changing the subject and ignoring the scowl that Natsu was sporting, he continued. "So, what kind of magic do you practice? I know there are many different kinds."

Smiling politely, I said, "I'm a Celestial Wizard." Pulling out my keys, I showed the impressive ring to the royal in front of me. "I possess the ability to conjure spirits to assist me in battle. I have most of the Zodiacs, and a few silvers as well. Natsu here is a Fire Dragon Slayer."

The prince looked surprised for a moment, subtly leaning away from Natsu. "My, that's impressive. However, I never would have guessed that you two would be compatible partners. Please indulge me."

My smile wavered slightly as I felt Natsu's hand on my lower back clench the fabric of my sweater. "Um, well... It just kind of happened. We don't know how we work so well together, but we have ever since our first mission. After that, we just kind of stuck together."

"So what's a prince doing traveling on foot?" Natsu interrupted, his face showing clear contempt. "Shouldn't you have a royal carriage and fifty guards? Doesn't make much sense."

Xander seemed to pick up on Natsu's rudeness but held his composure almost haughtily. "Usually, we would. However, this trip requires a bit more cover. My father doesn't exactly know I've left. There are some urgent matters to attend to in Snowkeep and the king is much too busy to see to it, so I took it upon myself to look into the matter."

Trying to ignore the fact that I could practically feel Natsu's discontent for the Prince, I said, "Won't you get in trouble for that? King Scriar would probably be worried to see you missing."

Xander gave an indignant laugh. "My father is always so busy that I could be gone for months and he'd never notice. The people of Snowkeep are in dire need of assistance and it would be too late if I left it up to the king."

"What's going on in Snowkeep?" I asked curiously, trying to discreetly dislodge Natsu's grip from my sweater.

"I can't divulge much," the prince said regrettably. "Let's just say that there is some corruption that needs fixing."

I sighed in relief. If there was something bad happening in Snowkeep, then Natsu and I would have been obligated to step in. However, what the prince implied was that some higher-up people of the town were probably taking too much advantage of its people and he intended to stop it. I thanked the stars that wizards rarely got involved in politics.

"Oh, well it's very generous of you to come to the people's aid of your own pretense. But Alryne is kind of far from here. Have you walked all this way?" It struck me as a little funny that he and his guards weren't at least riding horses, and Alryne was almost as far away as Magnolia was at the moment.

"No. We took a train to Oakheart but had to leave swiftly when we noticed the Royal Guard swarming. Now that I think of it, I heard mention that they were looking for some Fairy Tail mages. They... Wouldn't have happened to be referring you two, would they?"

I went rigid under his gaze, and Natsu shifted uncomfortably next to me. Honestly, if the Slayer sat any closer to me he would have been in my lap. I knew I needed to lie. I couldn't let all of our hard work be thrown away by trusting a stranger. "Uh... Um... Well, we were just passing through and some weird stuff happened so we left before they could think it was because of wizards. We haven't encountered many magic users out this way so we knew we might become targets."

"Right. So you two had nothing to do with the disturbance in Faebridge, the next town over, either?"

Wishing with all my might that I could just disappear, I tried to say lightly, "We never went through Faebridge. It was much too expensive for us." I hated lying.

Xander gave me a thoughtful look, and I couldn't tell if he believed me or not. Thankfully, Natsu took the wheel. "Yeah. And it was a little out of the way of our destination. Anyways, I think your men are done setting up your stuff and me and Luce need to get some rest."

The prince cocked his head slightly while looking at Natsu. "Are you sure it wouldn't be better for Lucy to sleep in my tent? It's getting a little chilly."

"It's fine," I said quickly, my cheeks burning a little.

"Yeah," Natsu chimed in in almost a challenging voice. "We sleep close to each other for safety and I heat the air around me to a nice, toasty temperature. Fire Dragon Slayer, remember?"

Xander observed Natsu for a moment before he gave me an amused look. "Very well. Just know that you're more than welcome should it become too cold for your taste out here."

"I will. Goodnight, your highness." I probably said that in a much shorter tone than I intended, but I was getting a little flustered. The prince's offer definitely bordered on inappropriate.

…

"Luce, you still awake?"

Natsu's whisper was low, low enough for only me to hear through the sounds of nightlife and the crackling fire.

"Yeah. What's up?" I asked tiredly, keeping my voice down. We laid down for sleep almost an hour prior, but I couldn't get my mind to shut off. It didn't help that the prince's guards were taking turns keeping watch, which meant one of them were standing not far away at all times.

"That prince guy, Xander. Did he seem... _Overly_ friendly to you?" Natsu asked, his voice seeming a little concerned.

Thinking on his question, I answered hesitantly, "Not... _too_ much. When I met him before, he was just as friendly. Maybe inviting me to sleep in his tent was a bit inappropriate for a man of his standing, but that's it."

"He kissed your hand!"

"What?"

There was silence for a moment as Natsu seemed to ponder what to say. "He... He knows what happened with your family. He knows you're not part of their lifestyle anymore. So why does he keep treating you like you are?"

I kind of steamed a little at that. "What? Is it a crime to treat a woman with some respect?"

"Yes! I mean, no!" he hissed. "It's just not... He seems a bit more interested in you than he should be."

"Why? Am I not an interesting person?" I shot back in a disgruntled tone.

"No! That's not what I meant! I meant... Look, I can smell a whole bunch of different things, and one of them says the guy is really into you."

I clamped my mouth shut after opening it for a retort. So what exactly could Natsu smell?

"So you're saying you can smell when someone's _interested_ in someone else?"

"No. I mean, kinda. It's more like... I could smell his _arousal_."

I couldn't see Natsu's face but I was sure it had to be as red as mine. "He... He was thinking that way... Around me...?"

"The entire time," Natsu almost growled. "Look, I know I can't tell you what to do, but I'm just saying... Be careful around him... I don't... I don't want..."

"Natsu," I said quietly, smiling slightly. "I told you I'm not leaving your side. Prince or not, he's just not what I want. He may be very attractive – " A slight growl could be heard from the Slayer " – but he's still not you. Besides, I never want to go back to the life like he has ever again. Just thinking about those corsets make it hard for me to breathe."

"So you really are just being... polite?" Natsu sounded so nervous it actually made me feel a little bad.

"Of course. He's royalty."

Suddenly, I felt a warm hand grasp my own that was outstretched from my sleeping bag. "Good. I... I want you to stay with me."

"And I plan to, Natsu. I promise."

* * *

 _ **Please R &R!**_


	20. Chapter 20

**_Enjoy, and please leave me some wonderful reviews. :) I love you all. You give me so much confidence to keep writing._**

* * *

The next morning was an awkward affair, to say the least. Natsu and I said very little as Xander assisted his men in cleaning up camp. I was actually a little surprised that he was the helpful type of prince, especially since he'd had his men do everything the night before. Hmm, maybe he had just been tired.

Once everything was packed up and ready, Xander looked at me and the very bored Natsu beside me. "Ready to set out, Lady Lucy?"

"Just Lucy, please. And yeah. We're ready when you are," I replied, nudging Natsu to stop him from saying something. I didn't know what, but I could practically feel a retort about to come from him.

"Very well. Jaxton, Brine, let's head out."

With that, our sudden party of five set out of foot, heading back to the trail to continue on to Snowkeep. I could feel the chill in the air that only picked up the more the wind blew.

I had to deny the prince a few times when he offered his cloak to me, and Natsu only seemed to tense up even more whenever he asked. I finally told Xander that I would let him know if I needed assistance. I had been smart for once and worn actual winter clothes so his offers were a bit unwarranted. It wasn't near as cold as it would get in the coming days. It began getting dark before the conversation picked up... Unpleasantly.

"So, Lucy... What do you like to do in your spare time?" Xander asked, coming up beside me to match my stride. "Surely you're not always busy on a job."

"Um," I said in an unsure tone, giving a nervous sideways look to Natsu. "Well, I mostly either hang out at the Guild or train. I've mastered the use of my whip to work in tandem with my spirits more efficiently."

Prince Alexander gave me surprised look at that. "So you do combat and the like?"

Smiling as if the guy were an idiot, I said, "Well, yeah. Being a wizard in a guild isn't easy. Wow, I can't think of how many times we've almost died. Right, Natsu?"

Natsu laughed lightly, "Yeah, way too many to count. Remember that time I ate all that Etherion?"

Laughing aloud as I imagined the over-dramatically sick Natsu writhing in MY bed, I giggled, "How could I not? For some reason you thought being sick in MY bed was better than your own! Hey, what about when Gajeel kidnapped me and beat the hell out of me? There was a moment there he almost forgot that he wasn't supposed to kill me!"

Natsu and I were both laughing at these instances, but mainly because how ridiculous we knew we sounded. Who laughs at their own near-death experience? But the look the prince had was too priceless for us to stop, no matter how morbid we sounded.

"Lucy, you've been kidnapped? Beaten?" the prince asked incredulously, his eyes wide. "But... But why...?"

"Well, to be honest, that was all my father's doing. He was trying to force me to come back home so he could marry me off to merge assets. It all turned out alright in the end." I tried to stroll a little faster to get some distance between him and me, but he only maintained my speed.

"Ah, yes. I remember hearing about that. So that's why you... _left_ home?" The prince's sincere curiosity slightly baffled me, especially because I _did_ suddenly notice how much of an interest he had in me since Natsu had mentioned it the night before.

"Well, kind of," I said in a smaller voice, looking down at my hands which were clasped together. "I initially left because I couldn't take that life anymore. I wanted to see the world and experience everything, and being 'Lady Lucy Heartfilia' was hardly going to get me that. My mother wanted me to be happy, so that's what I went and did. I found amazing friends, an incredible guild, and all the freedom I could ever want. It's not without its dangers, but then life wouldn't be as exciting, would it?"

Flashing a friendly smile at Xander, I could see him looking at me with the strangest of expressions.

"What?"

The prince's expression morphed into an amused smile. "You really don't take to the damsel in distress lifestyle, do you?"

"Of course not!" I said quickly, almost offended. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"Yeah," Natsu chimed in, his voice dull and disgruntled. "She's nearly been mauled by Wyverns, Vulcans... even Tombhounds. But she always found a way to come out on top. _I'm_ her partner. _I'll_ _know_ if she needs help."

"And where were you while she was undergoing these 'maulings'?" the prince asked in an almost upset tone.

"Fighting the same damn things she was," Natsu almost snarled. "What are you implying? She and I are a TEAM. I wouldn't waste my time with a partner that I have to hover over!"

"My apologies, Slayer," the prince replied in a slightly more uplifted tone. "I suppose I'm just not accustomed to ladies of her standing doing such things. And with only a male escort, at that."

Through clenched teeth, I responded, "I'm not a lady of that _standing_ anymore."

At that, Xander only laughed. "It's in your blood, dear Lucy. Whether you denounce it or not, it's still there."

"Listen," Natsu seemed to finally halfway snap, rounding on Xander. "Lucy is free to live whatever kind of life she chooses. And she obviously chooses this one or else she'd still be stuck up in your high society. So Lucy is just _Lucy_ , now, get it? She's one of Fairy Tail's top mages and holds all the values and more heart than anyone and we admire that in our guild. She's a wizard, and that magic will flourish through her veins way more strongly than any 'high-standing' background that she might have once had."

The prince stood frozen for a moment, obviously slightly taken aback by Natsu finally blowing his steam. And then he _smirked_. As if... As if he'd been waiting for Natsu to crack?

"So, Slayer," Xander said, continuing our walk as the prince's guards eyed us warily. It struck me as strange that he wasn't really using Natsu's name, but for someone like him... I knew the prince was just intrigued by the turn of lifestyle that a noble could have. He was just curious. "I know about when Lucy joined a guild, but what about you? Dragon Slayers are very rare, are they not?"

Turning on his heel to continue walking and tear his glare away from the royal, Natsu responded shortly and with a bit of bite, "I only know of three."

"Interesting. How did you gain such power?"

Natsu's fists were balled at his side. I could tell he was on the verge of going ballistic. "I was raised by a dragon. Simple."

To keep the conversation from becoming more hostile than Natsu was making it to be, I pointed up ahead! "Look! I think it's a hot springs spa!"

…

Certainly enough, what I had spotted was a spa. There were three large natural hot springs in the area separated by stone walls, and a cozy house made into lodging. Since I had practically been itching for a hot bath all day, I refused to let any of the men say no. And that's how we found ourselves checked into The Warmth of Spring Spa and Hotel.

"Yes, I need one room with two beds," I said as I set the Master's credit sphere onto the counter in front of me. "It'll only be for the night."

"Lucy, are you sure you wouldn't mind a room of your own? I'll gladly pay for it," Xander inquired from behind me, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure sleeping with another man in the room for so long must have you weary."

A little thrown off by the offer, I stammered out the first excuse I could bring to mind. "U-um, no, thank you. Remember, no assistance from outside sources."

The prince only sighed and tilted his head back some, knowing he wasn't going to win that attempt at generosity.

"One room, two beds, please."

"Certainly!" the excited young blonde said as she made the transaction and handed us our room key. Looking behind us, she said absently, "So sir, how can I..." Everyone immediately saw the look of an absolute meltdown long before it even happened as she seemed to realize who she was looking at. The girl's blue eyes nearly swam with tears as they seemed to shine. "Oh, oh my stars! It's... You're Prince Alexander!"

Immediately, Xander leaned in using a hushing tone. "Shh, shh... Let's try and keep it discreet please." Looking over to me briefly, he then gave the girl a charming smile. "I'm sure you understand." With that, he gave a wink. Holy mother of Earthland, the guy was _that_ sure of himself! It really seemed rather pompous.

"U-um, of course! Wh-whatever you s-say, your majesty! We'll have our best room prepared for you immediately!"

That was the last of the conversation I heard as Natsu almost forcibly dragged me to our room. Once we were inside and the door was locked, it seemed as though all of our belongings were strewn all over the room as Natsu launched himself at me. Not even hesitating, he wrapped one strong, tense arm around my midsection as the others' hand tangled into my hair. As if in slow motion, I gasped as Natsu suddenly brought his mouth down on mine in a heated, possessive kiss. He ran his warm tongue across my bottom lip desperately, not bothering to ask for permission as he gained entry. My chest felt as if were about to explode from the unstoppable pounding of my heart, and the coiling sensation I had felt before under the spell was suddenly coming back with a fiery vengeance. My hands immediately found purchase around the overheated dragon, pulling him even closer to me as our lips explored one another in a electric fervor. His lips began suddenly moving downward across my jaw, finding purchase at that spot of my neck that seemed to make me want to melt. In the briefest flashes if discomfort, I knew Natsu had just marked me again, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I wanted to be his.

Adjusting his grip around my back, he slowly slid his hand under the back of my sweater and stroked the bare skin that was there. I gasped again, and I knew we needed to stop. Pushing just the slightest against Natsu, he seemed to come to his senses and backed away from me, his eyes hooded and his canines shining.

Huffing as though trying to catch his breath, he panted, "S-sorry... It just... My instincts just completely..."

"It's okay, Natsu," I said, slightly out of breath myself as I tried using my fingers to comb my hair back into a more manageable position. "It's okay. I'm... I'm not upset at all, trust me." I know he didn't doubt that, because I had what was probably the dumbest grin on my face.

His smile softening, Natsu looked down and brushed a hand over the sticky wetness of my neck. "I... Marked you, again."

"It's okay," I said as I smiled up at him in utmost fondness as I pulled my collar over to cover the mark. "It doesn't even hurt. Anyway, I'm about to go hit the women's spring. I don't know how long I'll be so you don't have to wait up."

…

The spring was probably the most luxurious thing I had ever experienced. With natural fountains which didn't hinder the water's heat in the slightest, and all the flora that surrounded the area, it felt like I was in paradise. After a week of no bathing, I felt like I had died and gone to Heaven as I soaked in the spring. There were a couple of other ladies on the other side of the water, gossiping like small-town people liked to do. It wasn't but maybe thirty minutes after I had gotten in that they left, allowing me to completely relax back in the soothing water.

It was maybe forty-five minutes later when I suddenly roused myself, realizing that I had fallen asleep in my nook of the spring. I scolded myself, knowing that had been seriously dangerous, but went ahead and got out, nonetheless. After my hair was as dry as it was going to get, I pulled on the skimpy robe that the spa used for its residents and began picking up my clothes.

"Wow, the women's spring is much nicer than the men's."

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I hugged my robe to myself, spinning around. "Prince Alexander!" I hissed in horror at the red-haired man standing there, nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist as his gaze zeroed in on me. "What on Earthland are you doing here?! This is the women's area! If Natsu – "

As if it were the most casual thing in the world, he maintained his gaze on me as he responded, "I just wanted to see what it was like. There's no way I could have known you were still here."

My face burned at that statement, and I couldn't help but look away from his predatory-like gaze. "Well, that's no excuse for breaking the rules. Just because you're a prince doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

"That's true," he said in a defeated tone, but it seemed fake. "But, I figured since I only have a few more weeks before I'm 'tied down', I figured now would be as good of a time as any to explore while I can." As he said this, he advanced on me slowly, backing me to the wall.

"Wh-What?" I asked incredulously, looking anywhere but the man who was boxing me in against the wall. "Y-You're getting m-married?"

"Unfortunately."

Those words rolled off his tongue seductively, but I felt nothing but disgust.

"Then what the hell are you doing?" I asked, my tone not masking the panic I was beginning to feel. "You know that Natsu is my – "

"I admire you, Lucy," Xander said, interrupting me. He leaned down to a mere inches from my face, both hands on either side of my body resting against the wall. "You decided that high society wasn't what you wanted and you were able to _leave_ it. You're clearly strong, smart, compassionate... My marriage is to be like yours was supposed to be. A union of convenience. As Prince, it's my responsibility to make that sacrifice for the greater good of the kingdom. However... I don't think I can go through with it and pass up such an amazing opportunity such as you."

My face was more than flushed, and I was nearly crouched to where I couldn't move anymore without touching the prince in some way. "Uh... Um, that's nice, y-your highness, but I'm – "

I didn't even get to finally explain my situation with Natsu before Xander's lips descended upon mine, even though I knew he had to already know. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it definitely lacked the explosive sensation I got when I was with Natsu. I felt one of his hands creep up and rub Natsu's mark roughly, confirming my suspicions about him knowing. Using my palms against his bare chest, I tried pushing as hard as I could, but the prince was clearly physically stronger than me.

Ripping my face away from his, I managed to cry out, "Stop! What are you doing?!"

I suddenly felt his hands move and wrap around my waist, holding me too tightly to him as he attempted to kiss me once more.

"Please! I said stop!"

A sudden golden light filtered through the area, and I couldn't help but shout out in relief as Xander and I turned to look at the light. Suddenly, my Lion had appeared, the scowl on his face as deadly as the look in his eye.

"Who the hell are you?" Xander asked, not letting go of his bruising grip on me.

"The lady said stop," Loke said in a silent, deadly voice, adjusting his cuffs as he advanced on the two of us. Xander's grip only became stronger.

"I don't know who the hell you are but this is none of your business!" Xander snarled out as Loke only came closer.

"Loke!" I cried out.

My voice was all it seemed to take before Xander was suddenly blasted across the spring with me safely tucked behind Leo. Loke stood in a defensive stance, but I knew it was unnecessary. The prince wasn't going to get up right away after a blow like that. Right as I peeked around to look at Loke, my mouth open to speak, we heard another frantic voice grow near.

"Lucy?! What's going on?" Rounding the corner was Natsu, who was at least fully dressed. "Loke? The fuck are you doing here in the ladies' spring?"

"Ugh!" I groaned out, rounding on Natsu and stamping my bare foot. "Natsu, Loke just saved me!"

"S-Saved you?" Natsu asked in confusion, stopping in his tracks. "From what? A lily-pad?"

"No, you idiot!" I nearly screamed, my body beginning to tremble. Adrenaline was running through me in droves, but I couldn't bring myself to even say what had just happened. "I... The prince – "

"I sensed Lucy in distress and found that lump over there trying to ram his tongue down her throat after her telling him to stop," Loke said darkly, eyeing the still-unmoving prince. Suddenly, Loke's eyes widened slightly as he took in the still form. "Is... Is that Prince Alexander? Lucy, what the _hell_ has been going on?"

"I'm going to fucking kill him!" Natsu cried out, but my shout telling him otherwise stopped him.

"Loke... Loke took care of him. He... He won't try anything again," I said, groaning slightly as I stretched my arms out. I was still shaking, but I knew I needed the meltdown to hold off so the shaking was welcome.

The next thing I knew, Natsu had me swept into his arms, sending a nasty glare Xander's way as he stalked off with me. Before we rounded the corner, I managed to stutter, "Th-thank you! Loke... We'll... I'll explain soon..."

Once Natsu had carried me inside and set me on the bed, it was like I completely fell apart.

* * *

 **Please R &R!**


	21. Chapter 21

The moment Natsu sat on the bed next to me, I basically launched myself at him, Gripping the front of his vest tightly as I sobbed into his chest, I cried, "I'm _so_ sorry Natsu! I'm _so_ sorry!"

"Whoa, whoa," Natsu said incredulously, wrapping his arms around me tightly and leaning his head down close to mine. In a comforting tone, he asked, "Lucy, why on Earthland are you apologizing? What all happened?"

I had to take a moment to dry up my sobs a bit so I could speak clearly. I could feel my trembling subsiding slightly, but the tears refused to stop streaming from my eyes. I was finally able to grind my way through the story. Normally I would have just given him the basics, but my finally calming mind said that Natsu deserved to know everything, including where Xander had intentionally touched the slayer's Mark. I didn't know what all intentions Xander had, but it was clear he had no regard as to what I wanted. It was only a bit of kissing, and I thanked the stars that he hadn't managed to try anything else before Loke showed up. Not to mention I could taste the remnants of alcohol. All in all, yes, I was upset, but I had survived worse. I knew it _could_ have been worse, and that's what began hardening my resolve to not let the attack get to me. But I still felt like I had betrayed Natsu. "I'm so sorry, Natsu! I tried to tell him about us but – "

"Lucy, grab your keys, call one of your spirits to sit here with you. I'm about to go kill that son of a bitch – "

"No, Natsu, I'm fine – !"

"Lady Lucy, Mr. Dragneel! The staff just found Prince Alexander unconscious in the Ladies' area!"

The sudden intrusion nearly made me jump from my skin, but Natsu was practically already snarling at the two unaware guards. "He's unconscious because Lucy's spirit had to knock him out! Your precious prince tried to force himself on Lucy and if you ask me the son of a bitch deserved much more than what he got!"

Both guards looked at me. Even though I was sure my eyes were puffy and red, and my nose was raw and pinkened from the constant tissues, the two men didn't seem very observant of my distress. "You attacked the crowned prince?! You are both under arrest – "

"Wait!" I yelled out, stopping Natsu before he could land his flaming fist in Jaxton's face. Standing from the bed and adjusting the skimpy robe, I approached the two and said, "How about we wait until he wakes up and see what he says? I'm sure 'someone of _his standing_ ' really wouldn't want the public knowing that the soon-to-be-wed prince sexually assaulted a Guild mage. I'm sure he'll agree, and we can come up with a way to keep it quiet. What do you say?"

It was clear that my words made the guards sweat, and their serious looks of deliberation only seemed more desperate as Natsu's fist only grew hotter. Finally, Brine swallowed thickly. "Alright. But we'll be escorting the two of you and we will not let you out of our sight until the prince awakens."

"Fine by me!" Natsu retorted viciously. "And then when he owns up to what he did I can smash his fucking face in – "

"Natsu, no!" I said loudly in a pleading tone, turning to place my hands on his arm. "It's fine. Once this is all straightened out, I'm sure he'll never bother us again. I'm not hurt and Loke defended me very well. If you attack him after the fact, then they _can_ arrest us. Now, is it alright if I change into some real clothes, first?"

The guards, both a bit red in the face, mumbled their permission so I grabbed a change of clothes and ran into the bathroom. As much as I wanted to stay in there and hide forever, I knew that we had to get the situation under control as fast as possible, so I threw on the clothes and re-emerged from the bathroom.

Turning his sharp gaze to me, Natsu's eyes softened as he seemed to take in my expression. Turning a burning gaze back at the guards, he said, "Take us to him."

…

We were surprised to see that the prince had actually gotten the room next to ours rather than the suite I heard the counter-girl offer. That fact creeped me out a little, but my mind was buzzing way too much to really focus on that. Natsu and I sat under the watchful guards' gaze for what seemed like an eternity as the prince continued to lay motionless on the bed. Every now and then a staff member would stop by to see if we needed anything, but the guards always delivered a swift no.

I could just barely see the pink of dawn on the horizon when the prince finally began to stir. Natsu and I both made to move towards him, but Jaxton held us back with his sword held at the ready as Brine approached the finally awakened man. Neither of us mages were in much fear of the sword (Erza was a million times more frightening than that dolt any day), but we stayed in place out of principle.

Xander's voice came out a bit raspy as he looked around in confusion. "Brine... What happened?"

"Your highness – "

"WHAT?!" Natsu completely flipped, grabbing Jaxton's sword by the blade and throwing it to the side easily as he jumped to his feet. His eyes shining as dangerously as daggers, Natsu snarled, "You don't remember _attacking_ Lucy? You don't remember her begging you to _stop_? What _happened_ was one of her spirits came through and knocked your ass out! If Lucy hadn't asked me not to, I would have fucking _killed_ you!"

The prince laid there silent for a moment as he contemplated Natsu's words with shock written across his face, and Brine looked about ready to try and take on Natsu himself. Which was laughable if the situation wasn't so dire. Human law enforcement was a joke to wizards, but they could easily turn us over to the Magic Counsel and then we'd be _really_ screwed.

Finally lifting his head to look at me, Xander said with remorse in his eyes, "I'm... I'm sorry, Lucy. I had a bit too much to drink in the spring, and I... I had hoped you might have felt the same as me. I feel as though I'm in a situation such as you were, being forced to get married to someone I don't even know. I thought... I thought you would understand..."

"I _do_ understand," I said vehemently, standing to my feet as well to glare down at the prince. "But that doesn't give you the right to do what you did! I said stop and you wouldn't! I'm sorry you were knocked out so hard, but my spirits are very protective and you crossed a major line!"

The prince hung his head in what appeared to be shame as Natsu continued. "And you're lucky it was one of her spirits and not me! You dared lay a hand on my mate and in Slayer culture, that's a sentence worthy of _death_."

Well, there. It was finally said aloud, and to people _not_ from the guild for once. Though we had not actually "mated," I was still his mate for all intents and purposes. I was his _true_ mate. That may as well have said that we were married, just without the consummation part.

Oh, God. _Natsu!_ If he and I had actually gone through with the mating, he would have gained extra power. But if the prince had finished what he tried, Natsu would have lost that power! If I wasn't so positive of my feelings, it could have _killed_ him!

"Oh, Natsu..." I suddenly said softly, covering my mouth and clenching my eyes shut as I found purchase in my seat again. "That could have... Oh, God, I didn't even think about how it could have affected you... I was so _stupid_ – "

"You two are mates?" Xander asked, interrupting my revelation. His expression was one of shock and fear.

"Well, not officially..."

"Yeah, we are!" Natsu snarled, stalking over to me and pulling me to my feet gently by the hand. Suddenly spinning me around, Natsu pulled the collar of my robe over to show the mark he had made. "That's _my_ name in ancient Draconian. It means she's my one true mate, the greatest treasure that I'll ever have... and no one _ever_ steals from a dragon's horde."

Straightening my robe back out while trying not to focus too much on Natsu's endearing words, I said with finality, "Listen, Prince. We will overlook this debacle as long as you promise to stay away from us. We won't go to the press, you don't arrest us and leave our guild alone as well."

Xander looked between both his guards before landing his sights back on us. "Please excuse my guards and myself so we may discuss this – "

"Hell no!" Natsu snapped, baring his teeth. "The second we leave this room, we're grabbing our stuff and _leaving_. You better make your decision, quick."

Steeling his expression, the prince began to speak but was cut off by Jaxton, who bowed lowly. "Your highness, they attacked a member of the Crown. They must be punished."

Xander only took a moment to ponder his guard's words, but apparently disagreed. Turning back to look at me, he said, "Very well, Lucy. I shall leave you and your guild be in exchange for your silence. I swear to uphold my end of the deal as long as you do so as well."

"No problems there," I responded with a glare. Grabbing the fuming Natsu by the hand, the two of us stormed out of the room and back to our own.

Once I slammed the door shut behind us, I couldn't hold back the infuriated snarl that ripped from my throat. "That pompous _asshole!_ How dare he think it's okay to kiss a girl he barely knows just because of a little bit of alcohol and a _hunch?!_ He's royalty! He should know better!" Turning around, huffing after my small rant, I saw the most bizarre look on Natsu's face. "What?" I almost snapped.

Natsu's face split into a grin before he suddenly launched himself at me. Wrapping his strong arms impossibly tight around my shoulders, he bent his neck down to touch his forehead to mine. "Nothing," he said in amusement. "You just never cease to amaze me. You're incredible, you know that right?"

Quickly losing my steam as I took in the pink-haired man before me, I looked up and gave Natsu a small smile as I returned his embrace. "Why would you say that?"

"Because," he said, finally pulling back from me to start grabbing up our belongings. I followed suit while he continued. "Even after everything you've been through, being attacked like that three times in the course of just a couple months, you managed to still stand up and fight it. You... I was really scared when Loke told me what happened. You should never have to go through stuff like that, but you have three times and... and instead of breaking down, you stood tall. Not many people have that kind of strength."

Pausing with my bag in my hands, I cocked my head curiously at him. "But it's only happened twice. Faebridge and just now..."

Natsu froze, not removing his eyes from the map he had just picked up. Slowly, he said in a bit of a morose tone, "And Dragoste."

Those words nearly blindsided me, causing me to drop my bag as I took in a sharp breath. I hadn't considered Dragoste at all, but I really felt as though it didn't count. What happened between Natsu and myself seemed completely different to me than the other instances. As I thought on it, my heart broke a little for Natsu. He still seemed to blame himself for what happened on that island, no matter how many times I told him I _wanted_ it, regardless of the spell.

"Natsu..." I said softly, standing up straight to look at the Slayer. Natsu's eyes flickered briefly before meeting mine, showing a sadness I wasn't accustomed to seeing in him. Approaching him and wrapping my arms around his waist, I laid my head on his chest and said, "I have _told_ you over and over again. What happened under the spell wasn't anyone's fault. I _wanted_ you. I still do. I will never consider what happened on that island as being attacked by you. What those men in Faebridge did and Xander, _those_ were attacks. I didn't want them. But I wanted you, even without that spell. So please, believe me when I say that I have not and never will consider what you and I did as being attacked. I see it as my first time kissing my mate." I looked up and gave Natsu a dazzling smile.

As Natsu looked down at me, I could see indecision in his gaze, but it finally seemed to melt away into a smile and he descended his lips upon mine.

I was sure I'd never get used to the absolute electric feeling I got every time we kissed, but his lips seemed to zap my entire being down to my toes as his lips ran softly against mine. I pulled him closer and applied more pressure into the kiss, pressing my body against him as I heard what sounded like a contented growl come from deep within Natsu's chest. One of his hands tangled into my hair as the other was placed on the small of my back, pulling me to him even though there was no way we could get any closer. Finally needing air, I pulled away and gasped, eyes shining as they looked up at my dragon.

"We... We should probably go..." I said breathlessly, running a hand through my tangled mane.

Natsu seemed reluctant to release his hold on me, but with a pained look in his eye he managed to wrench himself away. "Yeah. Right. Let's go."

…

Natsu and I were forced to adjust our coordinates a bit, determined to not go to Snowkeep on the chance that we might run into Prince Alexander there. Instead, we began heading a bit more northwest towards a city called Crystal Icemeet. According to Natsu, it had the biggest library in the Western Hemisphere, which immediately got me giddy. It was only a day's walk farther than Snowkeep, so I was willing to make the sacrifice.

The night before we could make it into the city found Natsu and me in our usual routine of camping. Natsu had found a small cave, which I was overly grateful for. The further north we traveled, the more frigid and icy it became. For the three days prior, we had been trudging through several feet of snow, the icy element only building higher the more we walked. A snow storm had been brewing, and it had steadily been wearing us down to nothing, so when Natsu announced that he had found an abandoned cave, I nearly squealed with joy. Or, well, screamed. Either way, it made Natsu genuinely worry for a moment, thinking I was upset and crying. He finally figured it out after I hugged him excitedly and kissed him on the cheek. My lips were like ice on his always warmed skin.

Grabbing my hand, Natsu took off at a light run and pulled me along, navigating the snow-thickened air and ground. The temperature was low enough that I could feel my lungs burn with each breath, and Natsu even seemed to be emitting steam as the beyond frigid air came near his skin. The snow that was coming down in droves made it impossible for me to see, and the wind made it impossible to hear. All I could focus on was how cold I was and how warm Natsu's hand was in comparison as he led me to the cave.

Within just a few minutes, we finally made it through the entryway of the cave with heaving sighs of relief. Immediately, I dropped to the hard ground and wrapped myself up in a ball. With my voice muffled by my layers of clothes, I chattered, "I-t's imp-possi-b-ble t-t-to s-surviv-ve in-n th-th-these cond-d-ditions! Th-the p-people who l-l-live up-p h-here m-m-must b-be insane!" I was trembling from head to toe, my body so tense that it was beginning to hurt quite a bit.

"Shit, Lucy," Natsu said in slight panic as he tossed our bags to the ground and basically jumped me. He immediately started stripping, but my trembling prevented me from asking him what the hell he was doing. Next thing I knew, Natsu had laid me back onto the ground with his body flush against mine, only wearing his pants. Leaning his head in, Natsu rested it in the crook of my neck as his hands moved expertly through my layers of clothing. When he finally found bare skin, I gasped quietly as his heated hands and arms completely wrapped around my midsection and held me tight. Most of my torso was touching his hot, bare skin and it felt more incredible than anything in the world at the moment. We stayed like that for at least a few minutes, my tremors slowly subsiding as Natsu's heat seeped into me.

"Take your boots off. If your feet get too cold they'll get frostbitten."

So far I had been enjoying everything Natsu had been doing, so I didn't question him as I kicked my boots off, one after the other. Once I was done, Natsu leaned up to look at me in slight concern and asked, "Are you warm enough for me to let go for just a minute?"

Not bothering to say anything to try and prevent my teeth from chattering, I cocked a curious eyebrow at him as I nodded my head. I felt the chill of the air rush back to me as Natsu moved away, but my discomfort was short lived as I felt magnificently warm hands suddenly start massaging my frozen feet. I hadn't even really realized how cold they were until that point, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time anyone had given me a foot rub. Without my permission, a long, wanton moan escaped my lips.

It was actually a bit embarrassing, especially when Natsu paused for a moment before continuing his ministrations. I was too embarrassed to look at his expression. Trying to keep my sounds of pleasure to myself, I bit my lip and tried to keep my squirming down to a minimum as the slayer worked both my feet.

It didn't last long enough.

"Okay, Luce," Natsu said, his voice slightly raspy for some reason, slipping my boots back onto my feet for me. "Stay here while I get some firewood, then I'll help you dry off. It's only going to get colder the darker it gets, and I'm worried that you might already be getting sick."

Again, trying to keep my composure by not speaking, I nodded to him. And with a brief grin, he was gone.

"Well, I see I _was_ right about you and the hot-head." Turning to look, I saw none other than Loke himself, smirking as he adjusted his glasses. "How's it going, Princess? It's been a while. I believe you have a lot of explaining to do, yeah?"

* * *

 ** _Please R &R! The reviews are what keep my hands typing!_**


	22. Chapter 22

_**So sorry I haven't posted in a while. Adulting is hard. Here's y'all some goodness for your patience!**_

* * *

Looking down at my freezing hands nervously, I had to quickly deliberate on how much I should tell him. After that, shame overcame me as I remembered that Celestial Wizards needed to have complete confidence in their spirits for the contract to ever work out. With that, I knew I had to tell Loke everything.

"Well, after we left Mount Rumble, before we made it to the Mirror Palace, Natsu and I ended up in a town called Faebridge – "

"Faebridge?!" Loke interjected in a scathing voice. "Lucy, don't you know how dangerous that place is? Why the hell did Natsu take you there?!"

"Listen, Loke," I said, wrapping my arms around my knees as I gave the spirit an irritated glare. "If you want me to tell this story, you need to chill on the interruptions. Natsu will be back soon, so I think we should wait for him to get back and get the fire going before I actually start. Natsu might can remember some things better than I can, anyway."

"But what happened in Faebridge?!" Loke asked forcefully, taking his glasses off and throwing them to the side in anger. Advancing on me with a glare, Loke grabbed me by the arms and shook me slightly. "Lucy, did something happen?!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Natsu's voice cut through. Loke stopped and snapped his gaze to the slayer entering the cave with his arms loaded down with wood. He was staring – well, _glaring_ – in our direction, his arms dropping the wood unceremoniously. Within the next second, Loke's grips on me was gone and Natsu had put himself between us. "Better start explaining, Lion."

"Natsu, _please_ ," I basically cried, shoving Natsu out of the way. "It's just Loke!"

"Doesn't give him the right to put his hands on you," Natsu growled back, stalking away to start up the fire. Not taking his eyes off Loke as the pile of wood started to blaze, he continued, "Understand, cat?"

"Who are you calling a cat – ?"

"Guys, stop it!" I finally chimed, stomping my foot as Natsu suddenly had the fire up in a roaring fireball. Immediately moving to sit next to it, I finally removed my hood and let my silky blonde hair free. "Why don't we warm up by the fire and I can _finish explaining_?"

"Explaining what?" Natsu asked, sitting down very close to me while still glaring at Loke.

Stifling a groan, I clenched my eyes shut for a moment and pinched the bridge of my nose. Removing my hand and reopening my eyes, I gave Natsu an exasperated look. "Loke wants to know what all has been going on."

"Well, maybe it's none of his business – "

"Yes, Natsu, it is," I cut him off, drawing myself in tighter as I waited for the warmth of the fire to seep through my layers. "He and all of the other Spirits' exist to help their Celestial Wizards. Our contract is based on trust, honesty, and loyalty, so yeah, it's – unfortunately – his business."

"Precisely," Loke finally chimed in, returning Natsu's glare. "If Lucy is involved, so am I."

"Well where the hell were you in Faebridge – ?!"

"I wish I knew!" the lion snapped back. "Why the hell did you take Lucy there in the first place?! You know what kind of history that place has! Now what the hell happened?"

"Er.." Natsu hesitated, looking sideways to me. I knew I was going to have to recount the event eventually but I definitely wasn't ready for it.

"Um, well, Natsu _did_ warn me about the place. He just happened to give enough information that made me want to... help."

"Lucy, you didn't!" Loke demanded in horror.

"I... I made myself bait and had Natsu follow to wherever they took me – " seeing the stricken look on Loke's face as he sharply turned his gaze on Natsu, I interjected, " – It was my idea! Natsu didn't want to get involved but I forced him by trying to do it myself. Anyways, two guys caught me and knocked me out. I woke up in a cage in a room with four other guys. They were waiting on their boss to get back. They... They had a doctor to 'examine' me to make sure I was... _untouched_ , but they never found my keys I had hidden. I called Scorpio to help Natsu release the girls while I stalled the leader. Eventually Natsu got there and took care of the boss while I was taken by one of the men. I managed to call Aquarius out to take care of him. After that, we high-tailed it out of town to the Mirror Palace."

Loke sat there dumbfounded, but only for a moment before asking viciously, "What did they do to you while you were 'stalling', Lucy?"

Snapping my gaze to the fire in front of me, I drew my knees to my chest. "Not... Not much. It could have been a lot worse..."

"Lucy!"  
"Please! It's like I said... They just... felt up my chest a little..." My voice choked, causing me to stop in my explanation. That's where Natsu jumped in.

"That's all you need to know," the slayer interjected. "Everyone got out okay. Then you were there for the Mirror Palace, so you know what happened there."

"Then what happened after that?" Loke said, his fists clenched in suppressed rage.

"Our next destination was Dragoste Island," I said softly, my voice clearing up a bit again.

Loke's eyes lit up at that, his interest sparking up a bit more. "Wait, Dragoste? Wasn't there a posting for that place in the Guild a while back?"

' _Oh crap._ '

"Uh, yeah," I said sheepishly, rubbing my gloved hands together. When Natsu noticed this, he grabbed my by the wrists and uncovered my hands before quickly encasing them in his own. His hands were unbelievably warm, but I wish he hadn't done that. It made me want to crawl into his embrace to warm me up all over. But I still had some explaining to finish, as much as I didn't want to divulge what happened with Fulvia. "Um, well, when we got there, we encountered a former 'goddess'. She was still quite powerful – "

"Fulvia is still there?!" Loke yelped, looking stricken. "Jeez, that lady is one hell of a piece of work. Thought I'd never get away from her when we met..."

"You... You knew Fulvia?" I asked, stammering. Natsu seemed to be growling from deep within his chest, but the wind rushing past the entryway made it hard to hear properly.

Loke gave me a grim smile. "Yeah. Ran into her not long after she'd been 'cast down'. That woman had one _hell_ of a libido..."

"Yeah, we figured that out," Natsu deadpanned, giving me a nervous look.

At that, Loke's expression grew somber. "Did... What happened when you two found her?"

Giving Natsu a nervous look, I felt my cheeks turn red as I began recounting everything that happened on that island.

It took a bit more effort and some of Natsu's help to get through everything. By the time Natsu wrapped up the tale, Loke was looking extremely uncomfortable.

"So you two were almost forced to..."

"Yeah," I breathed out, the redness in my face not receding as I look anywhere but the two men in the room. "But Natsu saved us."

"And you're really his true mate?"

I froze at that. I tried as much as possible to skim over that part, but apparently it was impossible for the spirit to not pick up on it. "Er, yeah... We didn't know until that woman cast the spell on Natsu. And then after everything that happened... We just... We wanna take things slow. We need to, actually. We still have two more locations to go. We need to focus on that."

Leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist, Loke smiled lightly at me. "I guess I never did have a chance. Oh well. You'll always be my princess. So, what happened with that slimeball that tried forcing his tongue down your throat?"

"Oh, Prince Alexander?" I questioned, thinking back to how I never got to thank Loke for saving me in that debacle. "We took care of it. He won't bother us again."

Loke smiled in an almost knowing way. "Anyways, I think it's time for me to go. You two look cold and tired and far be it from _me_ to stop you two from snuggling for warmth."

"What the hell is that supposed to – "

"And Lucy," Loke added, ignoring Natsu. "If you ever need help, _please_ call me first. I hate what happened in Faebridge... But you seem okay, so that's enough for me I guess. You're in capable hands when I'm not around."

Before I could say another word, the Spirit phased out into his golden mist. Looking over at Natsu, I couldn't help but notice his disgruntled look.

"Sorry," I said quietly, just audible enough to be heard over the crackling fire and howling wind. "He just deserves to know, being my spirit. Our contracts are based on trust and honesty."

Natsu's features lightened as he slowly smiled at me. "I don't know what you're apologizing for. Now that annoying cat knows you're mine."

"Wh – Huh?" I asked in confusion as Natsu got close enough that our sides were touching. He was incredibly warm, and the heat that rolled off of him felt like Heaven coursing through me. A contented sigh escaped my lips without my permission as I leaned into him.

"Like I said. The pervert always had it bad for you." Natsu said lightheartedly, not seeming to mind my body pressing against him for warmth. Wrapping his arms around me, he slowly but subtly dragged me into his lap, his hold embracing me and warming me much better than the fire. Settling his chin on my shoulder, he continued, "Now that he knows we're mates, he knows to back off. You're mine."

Smiling as my eyes drifted closed in the pleasure of Natsu's heat, I relaxed my body a bit. "We're not technically mates though, are we? I mean, wouldn't we have to..."

I watched from my peripheral as Natsu's face turn slightly pink. "Y-yeah. Yeah, technically. But now that we know you're my _true_ mate, there's no way I could ever leave your side. It's a deep-rooted instinct. And... the _technicalities_... Well, we'll get there. There's no rush. As long as you continue to let me mark you so my name doesn't fade, I'll wait as long as you need me to"

"Continue to mark me...?" I asked hesitantly as I reached a hand up and gently brushed over the slowly fading mark.

"If... If you don't want me to, I understand..." Natsu tried to backtrack a little. "I... It just makes me feel better... It lets me know you're mine without pushing you into the actual mating."

Eyes traveling slowly to meet the Slayer's, I said hesitantly, "W... How... How often do you need to mark me?"

At that, Natsu cast his gaze downwards towards the fire. "It... Well, technically it's time to... But it can wait for a couple more days – or I can just redo it later if you don't want – "

"No, I want you to," I almost stuttered out. "I... If it makes you feel so much better, then why not? Besides, the next couple of days may be hectic and we might not have time..."

Natsu's eye grew round, his gaze snapping back to mine. "You... You want me to mark you? Now?"

Letting my hair fall to cover my embarrassed features, I gripped Natsu's arm tightly. "Y...Yes. I want to be yours... I want to feel like yours..."

Natsu seemed to growl deep within his chest as he tangled one hand in my hair and wrapped his other arm around my waist, pulling me impossibly close to where my bust was crushed up against his chest. Feeling his nose nudge my cheek, I took that as a signal and moved my head to the side to give Natsu better access to my neck. I couldn't stop myself as I gasped aloud at the feel of his tongue stroking the mark on my skin. I immediately felt a burning coil begin winding up in the pit of my stomach as his mouth seemed to lavish the sensitive skin. Accidentally letting out a small moan, I felt Natsu's grip on me tighten as he suddenly sunk his fangs into the skin once more. My mind barely had time to process the slight pinch of pain as a euphoric feeling washed through my entire being, causing my body to go limp but trembling as Natsu helped keep me from collapsing fully onto the ground (where he had laid out our sleeping bags). I felt his tongue delicately lick over his new mark, and I didn't realize how I had brought a hand around to grip the front of his shirt.

Grabbing a fistful of Natsu's pink hair with my free hand, I somewhat forcefully removed his mouth from my neck and directed his lips to my own. As our mouths collided, pure electricity seemed to strike all the way to my core as my whole body heaved and an almost pained growl could be heard ripping from deep within Natsu. I whimpered slightly into the kiss, not feeling like I was able to get close enough to him even though we were completely wrapped around one another. Natsu removed his hand from my hair and trailed his hand down my back. He stopped it to rest just above my backside, pulling away from the kiss for a moment to give me a silent, questioning look. I could only nod as I lunged forward once more to plant my lips on his. As our mouths twisted against one another, I felt his hand slide achingly slow down to rest on my ass. Another bolt of unadulterated excitement flashed through me as I felt him give it a little experimental squeeze.

An audible gasp escaped my throat as he moved his lips away from mine and down to my collarbone, leaving a hot trail of kisses in their wake while using his hands on my ass to pull my core closer to him. Removing my hand from his hair, I trailed it down his front, letting myself feel his incredible rock hard muscles and smooth, burning up skin. I could feel the rumble of a growl in Natsu's throat and couldn't stop myself from forcing my head down to slowly lick my way up his bulging chest. That seemed to bring Natsu out of his daze as he threw his head back and shut his eyes, my name escaping his lips as though he were in pain.

"Luce... _Lucccyyy_... We need to... We got to stop... I can't..." He was trying to speak in-between harsh pants of breath, his hands giving my backside one last soft squeeze before removing themselves and using them to grab me by the upper arms to pull me back.

Immediately, I felt my heart drop, my breathing coming out in harsh pants just like Natsu's. I was ready. Didn't he want me?

"No, Luce, don't give me that look," Natsu said almost pleadingly, grabbing both of my hands in his and bringing them to his lips to kiss over and over. "I... I want you. _God_ , I want you so bad it's driving me crazy. But... We promised we would wait... I want our time together to be uninterrupted, with no job hanging over us and since you're... Well, since neither of us have done _that_ before, I think we deserve to have our first times... _Not_ in a cave. Please understand that I _do_ want you though, you just deserve so much better than this." He said the last part in a husky whisper in my ear, suddenly moving my hips across his and allowing me to feel the hardness there. That made my cheeks flare up. "Please make no mistake that I _do want you_."

"Oh!" I couldn't help but gasp out at the sensation, my eyes giving Natsu the smokiest, most lustful look I could manage. He bit his lip at that, but we both nodded in agreement. Untangling ourselves, Natsu set about putting the tent together, which we only did in extreme times like the present with how cold it was.

I managed to pull myself together, straightening out my hair and clothes before standing, which was barely possible in the cave. "So, um, maybe I can summon one of my spirits to come with me and _I'll_ get our dinner for tonight. I bet Sagittarius would do a fine job."

"Lucy, you were barely alive when we found this cave because you were just about a frozen solid block," Natsu said irritably, popping the last of the frame in and completing the tent. "With it being dark now, it's way too cold and dangerous."

"Come on, Natsu! You know I will have no problem doing this – "

"Lucy, no. It's way too cold and I don't think I can control myself 'warming you up' again tonight! I don't have the willpower to deny you again!" he snapped, surprising me and making me blush at the same time.

After a long pause, I said quietly, "I... If you don't me to go, I won't. I w-wouldn't want you to worry."

"Fine," he said almost irritably. With that, he stalked out of the cave grumbling to himself.

 _'Wow, he must be having a really hard time controlling himself. I know I am. And the magazine's say that men tend to get irritable when it comes to stuff like this. Maybe I should... No, he wants it to be special. He'd be beyond pissed off if I tried to do_ that _with him just to make him feel better. I just... I need to give him a little space. Maybe I can try and curb his urges... God, what am I thinking? I can barely control myself, and women are the ones that are supposed to have a good grip on control!'_

I argued back and forth with myself as I sat by the fire, staying warm while I waited for Natsu to come back.

He eventually did after about forty-five minutes, bringing in his kill of a massive salmon he must have pulled from a nearby stream. Dinner went about as usual, but neither of us seemed capable of looking at the other which came with awkward silence. The sexual energy I could feel emanating from him was enough to keep me on edge, worried he might smell my slight arousal at the thought of him wanting me.

Once dinner was over and everything was put away, everything still seemed as awkward as ever so I pulled out my writing supplies and began working on my novel a bit more. Natsu seemed to sit and stare at the fire forever before announcing it an early night for him and entered into the tent. Well, at least that was a clue that he still intended to sleep beside me in the tent for warmth.

After staring blankly at the semi-filled page before me, I realized I couldn't bring myself to focus anymore. Shaking my head gently, I put away my things and crawled into the tent as well. Natsu seemed to already be fast asleep so I was careful to lay down next to him without moving him too much.

Reveling in the warmth that Natsu emitted, I found myself snuggling closer and closer to him until my body was flush against his. I heard him make a small noise in the back of his throat, but it was indiscernible so I let myself relax.

 _'What is this hardness against my stomach?'_ I asked myself as a late thought. Moving my hand upwards a bit, I let my hand touch the hard, hot rod beneath Natsu's... Pants. His pants. Oh my God, I was touch his... his dick. Oh my GOD, I was touching his hard-on!

I'm sure if it wasn't so dark, my face would have been an incredible tomato-like shade. I was feeling up Natsu. I hadn't let go yet. As much as I told myself over and over to move my hand as fast as possible, my hand seemed to have a mind of its own, gripping his hardness a bit and feeling how hot and hard it was. My heart was beating indescribably fast as I explored such a foreign part of Natsu's body.

Suddenly, there was a sharp inhale of breath, and I had just enough light to look up and see Natsu's eyes wide open, staring at me.

Fuck.

* * *

 _ **Please R &R. The reviews really give me drive to write and I'm not exaggerating. Love you!**_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 22: Just Enough**

The sudden fierce look in Natsu's eyes caused a bolt of terror to zap through me, but he didn't give me any time to escape. Immediately, his eyes widened as he suddenly gripped my forearms roughly before slamming his mouth to mine. One of his hands shot into my hair instinctively, drawing me as close as possible. Somehow, my hand still refused to release its grip on him, but my other hand had no problem drawing up and clutching the front of his vest as I let out a quiet moan.

I finally let go with a gasp when I felt his member jump underneath my touch, causing me to jerk back suddenly. At that, I heard Natsu's deep chuckle.

Finally coming (somewhat) back to my senses, my eyes widened in horror and the next thing I knew I was scrambling through the entrance and clawing my way to outside the cave. At some point, the snow had turned into a full blizzard and it was impossible to see a thing outside the light of the cave fire. The ripping wind had picked up enough force to have me stumbling sideways against it as I tried to distance myself from what the fuck I had just done. I was already shivering uncontrollably, enough to immediately tire me out from my muscles tensing so much. And then I walked face-first into a tree.

The wind and snow was loud enough that even I couldn't hear myself when I fell, but the next thing I knew I was being lifted and moved at a very fast pace. Within the next few seconds, I was back inside the cave, my eyes adjusting to the firelight. My body trembled uncontrollably as I tried to keep my chattering teeth from biting my tongue. My entire body ached from the unreal temperature.

I was suddenly on my back in the tent as Natsu began pulling layers of clothing from each of us. My chattering teeth made it difficult to talk, but I managed to bite out, "N-N-Nats-s-s-su... D-D-D-Don't-t-t... I'm-m-m-m s-s-s-s-sor-r-r-r-r-r-ry..."  
"Lucy!"

Clenching my eyes shut, I weakly tried to push Natsu away from me. "N-N-Nat-t-ts-s-su I'm-m-m-m s-s-so s-s-s-sorry!"

"Luce!"

"I-I d-d-don't kn-know what-t-t happened-d-d!"

" _Mate_!"

The dominant sound of Natsu's command made me stop struggling and open my eyes to look at him. As I laid there trembling violently, Natsu was crouched over me looking down at me as he continued to gently pull away clothes. He didn't look angry. He actually somewhat looked amused beneath the top layer of worry etched into his expression.

That was all I had time to think about before he descended on me, wrapping the length of his body, which was only covered with his undergarments, around my own half-nakedness, which was only my undergarments as well. Roughly grabbing a sleeping bag, Natsu pulled it on top of us to trap his heat in. The relief of his warmth washed over me, and I couldn't stop myself from wrapping him around me more firmly, despite how my face burned with shame and embarrassment.

"M – Lucy," Natsu whispered into my ear as my tremors began to slow. "Why did you run from me? I didn't mean to – I mean, I _told_ you what you do to me and I thought..."

"I'm sorry!" I squeaked out, burying my face into his chest. The amount of humiliated regret coursing through me would even make Horologium wish he could turn back time to save me the embarrassment. "I d-don't know why I r-ran. Th-This is all s-so new to m-me and I-I-I was b-basically just m-molesting you!"

"Luce, it's okay," I heard Natsu say as he rubbed a hot hand up and down my back soothingly. "Accidents happen..." I could feel a light chuckle rumble through him as he finished, "And I didn't hate it."

My head felt like it was about to explode from the amount of blood rushing to it. "I... Still... I don't feel like this is fair to you..."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked a bit dumbly, pulling away to grab me by the arms and look at my flushed face.

"K-Keeping our distance right now..." I said with barely a whisper, looking off to the side sadly. "I mean, dragon instincts basically override everything in your system. It must be hard for you to deny your instincts about your... your true mate..."

With that, Natsu cocked his head to the side for a moment before giving me a toothy grin. "Luce, you're right. It _is_ hard to keep my instincts in check around you. But..." He paused for a dramatic effect before swooping down to where his face was only a couple of mere inches away from mine. In a husky voice, he finished, "The teasing will all be worth it in the end."

I gasped as a different kind of shiver shot up my spine, but I couldn't focus on it for long as I felt Natsu's scorching lips connect with mine. Backing away quickly from his kiss, he maintained eye contact as he said with a flash of sharp teeth, "And there are still a million ways left to tease."

My expression changed quickly, what he was saying sinking in. My voice coming out in breathy pants, I whispered in realization, "There are _other_ ways to... Without actually _mating_..."

Natsu nodded his head as he let out a pleasured growl, his lips coming down upon mine once again, his mouth seemingly hungry for mine as I felt his body slightly undulate atop me. I let myself be swept up in his fire as I could feel his hardness pressed into my stomach as he dipped his head lower to run his tongue down my neck. I could feel his sharp canines lightly graze me as he did so, which spiked the growing feeling of a pleasurable coil winding up in my stomach. I timidly reached a hand up and buried it in his pink locks, gripping it a little more roughly than I had intended. Surprisingly, however, all Natsu did was growl more deeply as his hands wandered up and down my back, occasionally running a stray hand down to caress my backside, causing me to moan slightly at every touch.

Using my other hand, I ran it up his bare chest, memorizing every sharp curve and ripple of his muscles beneath his searing skin. I was officially warmed up, if not burning hot. Moving my hand from his chest, I looped it around his neck and lifted myself to pull us flush together, my lips demanding the attention of his again. As we smothered each other in a haze, one of Natsu's hands moved from my back to run across my belly. The new sensation had me gasping away from the kiss but gripping his hair even tighter, putting our foreheads together. We looked at each other breathlessly, our chests heaving against one another as I felt Natsu's thumb ever-so-gently graze the underside of my breast.

I could see the panic flash through his mind, but I refused to let him stop. "It's okay!" I breathed out, crashing our lips together once more. Drawing back again, I said, "It's you. It's only you." Pressing my mouth against his again, I boldly grabbed his hand settled on my stomach and brought it up to fully grasp my aching breast through the thin material of my bra. I let out a small whine at the pure pleasure of it as Natsu silenced me with his mouth once more, a distinct growl of approval and arousal rumbling from him through the both of us. Instinct led me as my legs parted slightly, allowing Natsu to settle more comfortably but at the expense of his hardness pressing against my core. There was still the cloth barriers separating us but I couldn't bring myself to care or worry as Natsu sucked in my bottom lip and let his canines scrape across it lightly.

I openly moaned into his melting kiss, my mind racing uncontrollably as the amazing sensation of now _both_ of Natsu's hands kneading and caressing my chest. When Natsu suddenly lightly pinched a nipple through the flimsy fabric, I gasped loudly as my hips jerked and ground slightly against Natsu's arousal. This only seemed to rile up the dragon even more as one hand removed itself from my chest to quickly swipe down to grip my ass, pulling himself even closer to my wet heat. Our lips barely left one anothers' as Natsu and I rolled around a bit, our hands roaming where they pleased as we exchanged wet kisses that left me seeing stars. I heard a small rip as my chest suddenly became chilled, my ripped bra falling away and exposing my breasts fully.

Next thing I knew, Natsu practically snarled as his face dove down to quickly latch his mouth onto an exposed nipple, earning a very pleasured cry which escaped my lips as my head was thrown back. His tongue laved over the sensitive flesh, his teeth gently nipping at my peaks teasingly. I couldn't stop myself as I cried out, "Natsu!"

I felt his mouth curve into a smirk and the next thing I knew, his hand slipped from my backside forward, using two fingers to press at my core through my thoroughly soaked underwear. His aim was spot on as I felt the harsh fabric suddenly scrub something that sent what felt like a million bolts of electricity through my entire being. I cried out at the touch, the feeling much too great to get embarrassed at my actions. Slightly grinding my hips against his hand, my fingers gripped Natsu's hair as I felt the coil winding tighter inside me. Natsu suddenly removed his lips from my breasts and trailed them up to his mark on my neck.

Several things happened all at once, causing me to scream out as my vision went white. Natsu's fangs sunk into my neck quickly as his body jerked atop mine. His motion put enough pressure on that one sweet spot to make my coil spring out of control, sending me toppling over the sweet edge that was bliss. I heard Natsu practically choking atop me as his hips ground into mine one final time before he began shuddering in his own pleasure as well. I heard his voice grind out my name over and over as he shuddered atop me and gently licked over the wounds his mark left.

The two of us laid there with labored breathing, our bodies thoroughly tangled together as we both recovered from our climaxes. With my head on Natsu's muscled chest, I listened to his heartbeat as it tried to calm down from its frantic thumping. I was sure my heart hummed just as fast, and I couldn't stop myself from bringing a hand up and stroking Natsu's cheek lovingly. He was absolutely incredible, and I still couldn't fathom how someone as strong and attractive and powerful as him could possibly want me. Usually, I would have chalked it up to his lack of control over who his true mate is, but I believed every word he said about how he had been attracted to me before he knew that little fact. I had my heart on the line for him, even though he had been with Lisanna, but it worked out for me in the long run. I was with the man I loved.

…

The next morning was hell as we tried to pack up to head out. And by "we", I meant me, because Natsu suddenly found himself unable to keep his hands off of me. I had to scold him a couple of times before I finally had to snap.

"Natsu, what is _wrong_ with you? You're being such a... Such a horndog!"

Natsu let his hands fall away from me, a confused look overcoming his features before raising an eyebrow. "I... I don't know. Maybe I'm still riled up from last night..." Leaning in closely to me, he whispered in my ear, "The sounds you made are still ringing through my head and I had never been more turned on in my life."

A shiver raced down my spine at his words and warm breath tickling my ear. My face turned beet red as my brown eyes became lost in his green ones. His gaze was heavy-lidded, and I hadn't noticed that he had already snaked an arm around my waist. Just as our lips were about to touch, I jerked back suddenly.

"Natsu, _stop_!" I pleaded, unraveling his arm from around me and stepping out of his reach. "We... We can't keep doing this. We still have two more locations. What happened to you wanting to wait until marriage?"

Natsu scratched the back of his head as he laughed nervously. "Yeah, I... That's what I wanted initially... Until I learned I had a true mate. Mating is by far a more demanding and permanent bond that's ingrained into my instincts than marriage."

Finally able to pick up my bag and sling it onto my shoulder, I gave Natsu a questioning, almost concerned look. "So... You don't want to get married?"

"What's the point?" he asked, giving me a sincere look with a raised brow.

"I... It's just..." I couldn't get the words out. My heart was crushing. I knew that mating was different to Slayers, but I couldn't lie and say I never wanted a gorgeous wedding. It was as though my hopes had been dashed.

Natsu must have noticed my expression, because it look like a light switch flipped in his brain. Immediately leaping forward to wrap his arms around me, he settled my head into the crook of his neck as he stumbled out quickly. "I'm-I'm not saying that I don't want to, Lucy! Of course I want to marry you! It just doesn't seem as big of a deal as claiming my true mate! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that! Believe me, Mate, I will marry you and mate you and everything there is to make sure you're mine in every way!"

My jaw hung slack a bit as I pulled away to look at Natsu, astonishment more than likely clear on my face. _'Did he just say what I think he did?'_

Natsu drew his brow together, concern etched into his features. "What? What's wrong? I just apologized! I really – "

"Did you just say you were going to marry me?" I asked in a disbelieving tone.

Natsu, oblivious to how big of a deal that was, said simply, "Well, yeah. The mating is my kind's long time ritual, but marriage is your kind's. I thought you knew that you're going to be my wife because you're my mate. You were... Were you waiting on some kind of proposal? Because I thought you knew... I thought you didn't need... Aw, Hell, Luce, I'm sorry. I didn't think this through at all."

At that moment he was gripping his hair and snarling at himself. Trying not to panic, I reached out and gently grasped one of his hands and pulled it into my own. "Natsu, no. I hadn't been expecting anything, really. I... I can't say I haven't always wanted my dream wedding, but with everything that's been going on, it's not something I've had much time to mull over. We still have plenty of time to figure everything out. Now stop freaking out and grab your bag. It's time to hit the road."

…

We reached Crystal Icemeet just before sundown, which was a day ahead of schedule (baffling both Natsu and me). Trudging through the snow from the blizzard the night before had been a monster chore, and more than once had Natsu or one of my Spirits had to clear a way. Natsu had exerted a lot of magical power that day, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. I was freezing cold, but I was alive.

As soon as we passed the sign welcoming us to the rather large city, Natsu made an immediate job of finding the nearest hotel with a restaurant. The weather seemed to only get worse at night around the area, because the setting sun only brought more wind and snow.

"Natsu, what about not wanting to waste money on lodging?" I asked with a muffled voice through my seven layers of clothing.

Natsu gritted his teeth as he looked at me almost sadly before setting his resolve, placing the credit sphere on the counter for the concierge to activate. "It's already too dark to find a cave to camp in outside the city. Crystal Icemeet is known for its unforgiving nightly storms so the tent alone won't do any good. We're safer just getting a room."

Grabbing the sphere from the desk man and turning on his heel, Natsu led the way to our room on the other side of the building. Once we were inside, I basically dropped everything in a pile and began stripping out of my excess layers as Natsu flopped down on... Another single bed, though it was large, roughly king-sized. Rolling my eyes only a little, I let out a breathy laugh as I grabbed a change of clothes and zipped into the bathroom. "I'm about to take a shower. Get off the clean bed and wait until I'm done and get yourself a shower. We both stink."

"Hey!"

I smirked as I shut the bathroom door, more than excited at the prospect of a scalding hot shower to warm me up from the frigid cold outside. It wasn't like I could always use Natsu as my personal heater.

Once my shower was over and I was dressed properly, I took the time to blow-dry my hair before handing over the bathroom to Natsu.

"Took you long enough," he teased before shutting the door behind him.

Shaking my head in amusement at him, I looked at our luggage and deliberated on what I should do with it. We knew our next destination had be be somewhere north, but we could still possibly have been hundreds of miles away from where the next location was. If I could get my hands on the information we needed the next day from that library, we probably wouldn't be staying any longer. In conclusion, I decided that it was pointless to unpack everything. So what was next?

Usually when it was just the two of us waiting until it was time to sleep, I would either read or write. He would just sleep anyways just because boredom didn't sit well with the Slayer at all. But since the night before in the cave, there was no way I would be able to concentrate on anything but that pink-haired dragon. And it didn't help that he had only gotten us a room with a single bed.

Finding something random to distract myself with, I busied myself with the many take-out menus that were on display next to the door, waiting for Natsu to finish with his shower. Like a cat, he didn't care for being wet so his showers were usually pretty quick. That being said, I only waited a couple of minutes before Natsu reemerged, wearing only a thick pair of gray pajama pants.

Turning around and acting as if I had genuinely been looking at the menus, I felt my cheeks pinken at the sight of his shirtless torso but managed to keep a steady voice as I said, "So, do you want to order out? I'm actually really tired and don't feel much like going out and you must be tired after using so much of your magic today."

"Pfft," Natsu glanced off, rolling his eyes. "Today was nothing. But I don't really feel like going out in that cold again. Jeez, the _one_ time I need that Ice Princess and he isn't here..."

Raising an eyebrow, I said, "Okay... Well, we can just order from the kitchens here. What do you want?"

Thirty different dishes and a hefty bill later, Natsu and I finished up our meal and decided we were tired enough to call it an early night. Which reminded me.

"So, I guess you've given up on having a separate bed from me?" I smirked, indicating to the large bed.

Cocking his head in what look like slight confusion, he said bluntly, "Well, yeah. I can't let my mate be _that_ far from me while we sleep. It's not safe."

I almost laughed aloud at that but thought nothing of it as I moved to lie down on the bed. "Um, well, we've done itbefore. If just a few feet bothers you then you're gonna hate it when we get back to Magnolia and go back to our own places."

Natsu's expression froze as he slipped onto the other side of the bed still sitting up. With a slight stutter, he said, "W-well, I thought... Um, I figured when we got back, we'd just move you into _my_ house. You _are_ my mate after all. And we'll get married as soon as you can organize it. But when this mission is over, I'm _not_ gonna wait to make you my mate. And as soon as we're mates, I will never sleep unless I know you're beside me and safe."

I was consciously making sure my jaw didn't hang slack at what he said. "Please tell me you won't hover around me all the time and eavesdrop on my conversations."

"No, no!" he said, crawling towards me to grasp my hands in his own. "No. You'll always have your freedom. Knowing that you're all mine makes it easy to trust you. But my instincts are telling me to stay close to you until we're mated. I dunno why, but I want to think there's a type of monster out there who only preys on claimed territory."

Shivering slightly at that, I said, "So you're just practicing?"

"More or less," he said, looking around the room. "Instincts are hard to explain. They tell me you're much more vulnerable while marked but unmated. It's weird."

Feeling my face redden a bit more, I hunkered down into the blankets and shut my eyes. "Whatever makes you feel better, Natsu."

The light went out in the room and I suddenly felt Natsu's arms wrap around me from behind. He whispered gently in my ear, "It _does_ make me feel better, Mate. Thank you for understanding. Goodnight."

"'Night, Natsu."

* * *

 _ **Your reviews are what keeps me alive! Please review for my life's sake!**_


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The next morning found Natsu and me tangled together under the warm sheets and blanket, which was a stark contrast to the freezing cold that had somehow seeped into our room. With a bit of embarrassment, I realized I had become so reliant on Natsu's heat that I never thought of turning on the alternate means of warmth when we got in our room. Turning my head ever-so-slightly, I took in the sight of Natsu sleeping peacefully.

His pink hair was sticking up in all directions, his mouth hanging open as he dozed quietly. One arm was across my chest and his leg was hooked around one of mine. It was almost too adorable, but I managed to stop myself from kissing him on the cheek. Instead, I opted to nudge him gently, unwilling to expose any more of myself to the cold outside our warm little pocket.

"Natsu... Hey, Natsu," I pried, poking him with a single finger under the blankets. "It's time to get up."

I heard a low whine come from the back of his throat, followed by a disdainful groan. His brow scrunched together briefly before he opened his eyes, a frown forming on his face. "Ungh, Luce..." Natsu untangled himself from me and used his free hands to rub his eyes woefully. "We're already ahead of schedule. Let's just sleep." With that, his eyes closed and his breathing went back to the steady pace of sleep.

"Natsu, _no_ ," I tried again, poking him in the rib. "We need to get to that library. This next clue has been delayed for way too long."

I heard a disgruntled moan come from the slayer but he turned over and opened his eyes anyways. "Ngh, fine. Okay. Let's go."

An hour later Natsu and I were walking through the doors of the massive library. Despite my uncontrollable shivering and Natsu dusting snow off of me, I couldn't help but stand there in awe at the rows upon endless rows of books before me. It was like I was in Heaven, and it was made of books.

"C'mon, Luce. We're in the way," Natsu said to me lowly, moving me away from the entrance and further inside. My jaw hung slack at the sight of the massive tomes that lined the mahogany shelves, the paintings and different kinds of art adorning the walls very eye-catching and intriguing. Natsu seemed to direct me around until I was standing in front of the cataloging lacrima.

Bringing myself back to Earthland, I shook my head gently before manipulating the lacrima, allowing it to show me where the books I needed could be found.

Once I had my arms, as well as Natsu's, loaded up with books, we found a small alcove in the library that had a fireplace and a couple of squishy armchairs. Natsu and I settled there for the day, making extensive use of my speed-readers.

…

 _'Attention patrons, the library will be closing in ten minutes. Please make your selections and proceed to the check-out counter.'_

My head jerked away from the book I had been focused on, looking around as if I would see the voice. Looking over, I noticed Natsu was passed out with a book in his lap, his mouth hanging open as his head rested against the side of the chair. Smiling tiredly, I stood and began picking out the books that I hadn't gotten to yet, determined to get more work done once I got back to the hotel. Gently slipping the book from Natsu's grasp, I tucked it into the pile in my arms before I nudged Natsu's leg with my foot.

"Hey, Natsu. We gotta go. Wake up."

Natsu inhaled deeply before half-opening his eyes to stretch. "Luce? Did you find something?"

"No," I said with a slight rolling of the eyes. "The library is about to close. We gotta leave."

"But don't you have to check out the books to take them – ?"

Cheeks reddening only slightly, I mumbled, "Well, I was thinking something a bit more time saving... Can you distract the front desk clerk for a moment? I plan to bring them back, we just don't have time to deal with them."

The devilish grin that formed on Natsu's face was practically pure evil.

As the two of us ran through the dark streets packed with impossibly thick snow, I couldn't help but scream at Natsu, "I said distract them, not start a fire!"

About fifteen minutes later, we finally made it to our hotel room, both gasping for air. Thinking about the night before, I promptly turned the heat on, trying to save whatever dignity I had left after that insane slip-up. We were in well-below freezing temperatures. Who the hell was dumb enough to forget to turn on the heat?

"Okay, I'm about to get a hot bath and go through some more of these books. What do you plan on doing?" I asked Natsu simply as I set the pile on the bed.

Natsu merely looked up at me as if I had just asked him what color his hair was. "What do you think? You kept me crammed in that damned library all day. I'm getting food."

Oops. I forgot to feed the dragon. But he never said anything, so I didn't think about it. He usually would have said something... "If you were hungry, you should have said so," I said a bit sheepishly, gathering my pajamas. "You know how I can get when it comes to books."

"I know, that's why I didn't say anything," he responded, scratching the back of his head nervously. "At the rate you're going, we'll know the location of the fourth clue in no time."

"Are you itching that bad for a fight? Cause that seems to be the pattern with these clue locations," I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Natsu took his hand away from the door handle he was reaching for and took a couple steps away to face me. With a hint of strain, he said in a husky voice. "Kinda of. More like I have a lot of _pent up energy_ that can only be spent once this job is over."

A shiver raced down my spine, forming a warm pool at my core. Natsu was close enough that I could have easily leaned forward and connected our lips, but I abstained. I needed to keep control of myself for both our sanity. Though there was no rule or divine law or anything that was keeping us from binding ourselves to one another whenever we wanted, I felt that we needed to wait. I didn't want my first time to be under the stress of a possibly fatal mission looming ahead. I didn't want to experience Natsu the way I wanted to, only for it to be ripped away. If Natsu cared for me as much as it seemed, then he probably felt the same way.

"O-okay. Well, be careful," I said, cheeks turning a burning red. With that, I whipped around and stalked into the bathroom.

…

The one day turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into a week as Natsu and I ground through every bit of information we could find on Sleipnirs. There was almost nothing to go on until I found Natsu flipping through a book of mythical creatures. A jolt of electricity seemed to zap through my brain, and I found myself snatching the book from him and flipping to the table of contents.

Finding what I was looking for, I turned the pages over until I found exactly what we needed, excitement clear in my expression and voice.

"A Sleipnir is a large, muscular horse with eight legs instead of four. Their extra legs are coupled with their regular legs, growing from their shoulders and haunches. In some depictions of royalty riding Sleipnirs, the mighty horse's extra legs are shackled to their regular legs at the knee. Other works of art show them using all of their legs independently. These fascinating creatures have been known to stay together in a single herd, far North in the badlands of the Arid Steppes. Natsu!"

I couldn't believe my eyes at the illustrations of the horse-like creature, but knowing it had eight legs made the clue make more sense when it said to follow their hooves.

"Don't celebrate so fast, Luce," Natsu said in a hardened tone, stacking the books up around us so we could leave. We had gotten our information.

"Why? What's wrong?" I asked simply, walking with the slayer out of the library and into the frozen streets.

"The Arid Steppes are damn near the top of this planet. If you think the weather is bad here, imagine traveling somewhere ten times worse. And there's no way there except on foot. Not many people have gone to the badlands and returned. A job that requires a wizard to go there is usually a minimum two S class wizard chunk of work."

"But... The next clue..."

"I know. If we don't go, we won't finish the job. But... I've put you through _so much_ with this job already though. I dragged you into a basic death trap." Natsu looked sincerely distressed as we entered our hotel room. It was beginning to get dark outside, so I knew no matter what the plan, it had to wait for the next morning.

"Natsu, this isn't about me," I defended, standing up to face him. "We are _both_ on this job and our _job_ is to finish this scavenger quest. Now, how about we call it an early night so we can head out first thing in the morning?"

"Lucy..." Natsu said with uncertainty.

"What, Natsu?" I asked as I got ready for bed. I was going to wait until the last possible moment to get a shower the next morning so I could feel cleaner out in the wilderness a bit longer.

"I don't think you should go."

I froze with a hand on the covers, ready to pull them back. Snapping my eyes up to meet his, I said, "What?"

"I... That place is seriously dangerous, Luce," he said almost morosely, taking the covers from my hands and pulling them back himself. "I've been there before, and I barely made it out alive. If something were to happen to you because I was selfish and dragged you off with me for six months, I don't think... I couldn't live with myself. You need to stay here or go back to the guild and let me handle it. I cant let you get hurt."

There was an extended, pregnant pause before I exploded. "WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING?! YOU THINK I CAN'T TAKE CARE OF MYSELF?"

"No, Lucy, I just don't want to see you hurt – "

"And I don't want you doing this mission alone!" I practically screamed, tears threatening to form in my eyes. "We're wizards on a high profile job, Natsu! We can't let our feelings get in the way of getting the job done. We... This is why I wanted us to wait..."

"Wait?" It seemed Natsu had lost his steam as quickly as I had just lost my own.

"Yes, wait. I told you. It's better if we don't get... _involved_ with each other until after this job. And this is the exact reason. One of us could die and all it would do is hurt the other. I can't... I don't want to go through that... I don't want to risk putting _you_ in that kind of danger." My cheeks felt warm as I avoided eye contact with him. I didn't want him to think I was rejecting him, because I didn't think a universe existed where I could. I just didn't want to mate just yet in case my probable death would bring about his own. "So I'm going to do my job knowing full-well that it will be dangerous, because that's what a wizard of Fairy Tail does! We get the job done!"

With that, I stalked away from the bed towards our bags on the floor, grabbing up our belongings and shoving them in the bags.

"Luce, what the hell are you doing?" Natsu said, seeming to finally come back to the present after my little explosion. He ran over to me and crouched, grabbing both my wrists to stop me from moving.

"We need to get this job done as fast as possible so we need to start heading to the Steppes _now_." I knew I was being irrational but the stress of the job and the overflowing sexual frustration was causing me to have a small meltdown.

"Lucy, don't be crazy – "

"I want this job to be over with – "

"Lucy, we can't travel at night here – "

"And I _want_ you – "

"Mate!" Natsu's voice finally resounded loudly over mine, causing me to freeze in place. When he noted my silence, he pulled me to my feet and brought my head to his chest in a comforting gesture. "Luce... If it means that much to you, I can't stop you. I just can't stand the thought of you getting hurt or killed because of me."

Looking up at Natsu's worried expression with small tears pricking the corner or my eyes, I said with a meek, shaky breath, "And I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt or killed because I wasn't there to help you."

At that, Natsu briefly rested his chin on top of my head before letting go of me, making sure to put the bag out of my reach. "Then we're at a stalemate. You _are_ my partner, though. I guess I have to let you come. _However_ , you are going to have to listen to me. If I say run, I mean it. Got it?"

Knowing that I could just easily "forget" what he had just told me, I pretended to reluctantly agree. "Fine."

"And we're waiting until _morning_ to head out. The weather is only going to get worse the further we go. We'll need plenty of time before nightfall to prepare a camp to keep you from freezing to death. I remember that there are some caves up that way, but not many." With that, Natsu turned me around and nudged me towards the bed. "Now, let's get some sleep. We're gonna be on the go for the next three weeks in that snow."

"What? Three weeks?" I asked incredulously. "Are the no trains that go that way from here?"

When I asked that, I noticed a pink blush creep up Natsu's neck as he rounded the bed and got in on his side. "Well, there is one, but it only cuts off a weeks worth of walking. I didn't think it would be worth it."

"A week?!" I snarled as I slid into the bed next to Natsu, staring daggers at him. "Natsu, I've been very generous this whole time about not forcing you take transportation unless absolutely necessary, but this is one of the times I'm putting my foot down. If the weather is as bad as you say it is that way, then I need to minimize my contact with it. I don't think you realize just how painful the cold can be."

Natsu paused with the blanket halfway over him, looking at me. Frowning suddenly, he said in an ashamed tone, "No, I guess I don't. I'll... I can survive a train ride, if that means saving you pain. I'm sorry, Luce. That was selfish."

My heart wanted to melt for him, but my mental barrier I had set forth to keep myself from being _too_ invested in the slayer. I wanted him – _needed_ him – and those kind of feelings and sentiment was what could get us killed. I had a brief moment of considering sleeping on the floor, just to help distance myself a little from my dependency on the man.

Unfortunately, I knew that wouldn't work. Even if I did try, the slayer would basically blow his top at me. He'd already explained that he couldn't sleep without me nearby, as possessive as that sounded, but I knew he couldn't ignore his instincts. I didn't know how deep those instincts went, but it was clearly enough to turn him into the possessive dragon he had become.

"I'm sorry, Natsu," I said morosely, adjusting myself on the bed while trying to stay as far from his side as possible. "I hate that it'll make you sick, but... The faster this job is over with..."

I couldn't even finish that thought as Natsu seemed to roll over quickly, looping his arms around me from behind and pulling my back flush against his chest. He finished my thought for me. "The faster I can make you my mate."

I felt blood rush to my face at his sultry words, and a sharp bolt of electricity seemed to crackle through me as I felt his lips connect with the very sensitive part of my neck where his mark was. A shiver raced down my spine at the contact, and I could feel Natsu's chuckle rumble deep in his chest. "Sensitive, Mate?"

I wasn't sure why, but every time he referred to me as "mate," I could feel myself practically melt. I managed to stutter out, "Y-You just..." Gasping slightly as I felt his tongue run over the same spot, I ground out, "You just... _Do_ things. Th-Things to my body... That I can't control..."

I felt his lips on my neck curve up into a smile as his hands roamed around my front, slipping underneath my night shirt and gently stroking the soft, sensitive skin of my abdomen. Another gasp escaped me as he said, "That's the Bond, Mate. It's growing stronger the longer we're close to each other. Once we're fully mated, the bond will be strong enough that we will even be able to tell when one of us is in trouble. Until then, as long as you maintain my temporary mark, it will basically keep you in a near constant state of _desire_."

With a gentle kiss on my neck, he began traveling his lips lower, turning me onto my back so he he could move his hot, wet lips down to my collarbone and gently nipping at the thin, sensitive flesh there. "You'll only want me more and more." Another sensual nip, this time right above my breast. "And when we finally mate, _you'll never stop wanting me again._ I'll take your pleasure beyond the ends of the universe." This time, I felt one of his hands grip my breast through the fabric of my shirt as he squeezed it gently, pulling a moan of pleasure from deep within my chest. "And then you'll only think of me. You'll only crave my touch." His placed his lips to my neck again. "You'll only want my lips on your skin." His hand moved under my shirt, stroking my flat stomach. "You'll only crave my hands on your body." Rolling over on top of me, his lips descended onto mine in a slow passionate kiss that left me lightheaded. "We will never be able to get enough of one another, no matter what."

With that, I couldn't contain myself anymore and brought my hands into the slayer's hair, bring his lips up to kiss my deeply. His hands still roamed the length of my body, pulling mewls of pleasure from my throat as my hands began doing some exploring of their own. One hand slid down his well-defined chest, savoring the feel of the hot, hard muscles bulging beneath his flesh. With a bit of nervousness, I lowered my other hand until it tentatively touched the cloth barrier that restrained Natsu's obvious arousal.

As soon as my hand touched it through the fabric, Natsu let out a primal howl, his head jerking back before coming down swiftly to latch his teeth onto my peak through my clothes. I couldn't stop the small yelp that I emitted, but I still didn't stop. Becoming more bold, I let my fingers wrap around his length through his pants, though it was almost too large to do so. I could hear and feel Natsu's growl of approval as he attacked my breasts through the fabric of my nightshirt as I began to slowly stroke the hot length through the material.

Finally coming up for air from my breasts, Natsu swiftly brought his lips smashing down onto mine, one of his hands fisting in my blonde locks as the other moved south. Within just a moment, I felt his hand brush mine as his fingers began rubbing little circles down below my navel, his hand traveling further down. I gasped aloud and almost forgot about my ministrations on Natsu when his fingers finally hit that sweet spot through my layers of clothing.

I couldn't help but tighten my grip on Natsu as the pleasure flooded through me, but he didn't seem to mind as his hips bucked into my hand and an almost pained groan escaped from his lips.

The two of us continued on like that, touching each other through our clothes while kissing passionately nonstop. When I felt the pressure inside me building to an almost unbearable sensation, I breathed out harshly, "Natsu... I can't... I'm going to – "

As soon as those words escaped my lips, I could feel Natsu's smile against my throat before returning them to my own. Once I felt the tell-tale signs of my world crumbling apart, I let out Natsu's name in a screech, my legs tightening together and trapping Natsu's hand. My release must have set off Natsu's as well, because he buried his face into my neck and grunted my name as I felt his member pulsing beneath my hand, despite the layers separating us.

The post-orgasmic bliss was enough to put us both out for the night, both of us a mess but still completely wrapped up in each other.

* * *

 **PLEASE R &R! Getting reviews rellay drives me to write more!**


	25. Chapter 25

**I have no excuse. I'm so sorry to make everyone think I bailed on this story. But, to be honest, I thought about it every day. But my depression and other things always got in the way to actually stop me from taking the time to actually write out the story. But... I missed the reviews. I missed my reviewers. I missed my writing. So, please forgive me for such a long wait. I'm not going to make any promises about update times, but I CAN promise that I will actively try for better than a year gap. I love you all. Thank you for bearing with me. Please enjoy this chapter that I wrote to get the ball rolling to Destination Number Four!**

* * *

 **Chapter 25  
**

The train ride to our next destination had been wretched, to say the least. While Natsu did his usual motion-sickness bit, I thought the free time would make nice for some quality writing. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to focus enough to manage it, though. Natsu's sounds of misery were much too distracting, though not quite as distracting as my brain seemed to be on its own. It was like someone had plugged a live-wire into it, making it impossible to shut off the flow of thoughts, worries, memories... Pretty much everything that had and was happening with our job kept flying around inside my head, and I couldn't turn the damn thing off!

Things had seemed to cool down between Natsu and me a bit, his motion-sickness being the largest reason. I also had tried to go back to my determination of not letting the two of us get too close. I didn't think there was anything in the world that I wanted more than the handsome dragon slayer, but our mission was too dangerous. I wasn't going to lie to myself. I wasn't the strongest nor the most resilient mage, and with the way the mission was going so far, there was a strong chance I might bite the dust. Which would only hurt Natsu.

There was no way I could do that to him.

Sighing as the conductor announced the next stop in a place called Frozen Altar, I began the grueling process of gathering our things, knowing Natsu would be useless until we were off the train. Though it was nice and cozy warm in our cabin, the outside looked much more formidable than I had ever seen. I couldn't accurately measure how much snow there was, but if the tunnel made entirely of snow was any indication, I knew the temperature outside was low enough to freeze a normal human to death within a few hours. Natsu would be fine, but how was I supposed to last in those conditions? Maybe Natsu was right. Maybe I shouldn't have come along.

Sighing once more when the train came to a stop, I grabbed Natsu by the shoulder and shook him violently. "Natsu, we're here. Come on."

Natsu groaned at me, still a horrible shade of green but still a far cry better than when the train had been moving. "Oh thank Mavis," he moaned out pitifully, dragging himself to his feet. "I was going to die. Luce, why did you do that to meee?"

"Oh, hush," I scoffed, grabbing my bag while Natsu grabbed his, letting it drag the ground in his weak state. "If you'd look outside, I'm sure you'd see why I'm glad we did."

Natsu and I got off the train, the cold air hitting me like a sack of bricks. I was already wearing two very thick snow jackets as well as fur-lined snow-pants and boots, but the chill in the air was still unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

"Fuck!" I swore out loudly, immediately drawing my arms around myself as I got very offended glances from onlookers. My face already felt numb, and the cold was slowly but surely seeping through my thick gloves. The hood of my second jacket only served to block the wind coming from behind me.

At my obvious distress, Natsu immediately leaped beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and heating himself up several degrees. The relief was almost instant, but I had kind of expected that scenario.

"Th-thanks, Natsu," I said, calming my chattering teeth. "B-but I can't keep letting you expend magic f-for weeks just t-to m – "

His green face almost completely diminished by that point, he just smiled and cut me off. "I know, Luce. Come on."

With that, Natsu slung his pack onto his back and steered me out of the almost miniature train station, only to be met with the tiniest town I had ever seen. Natsu never released his hold on me, which I wanted to protest but couldn't if I didn't want to be turned into a human popsicle. Guiding me down the narrow street a short ways, Natsu finally stopped us at a small little inn. Rushing me inside first, I could feel the immediate relief of the magically heated establishment.

"We need a room – " he started but I cut him off and finished for him with a slight stutter.

"T-two beds, please." I used my hair to hide my face from Natsu, who I was sure had a confused and possibly hurt expression glossing over his features at that moment.

"Certainly," the withered old man behind the desk replied, looking around for only a moment before handing us a key with the room number engraved in it.

Natsu, who I was avoiding eye contact with at all cost, wasted no time and ushered me upstairs to our rather plain room, the two full-size beds separated by about four feet and a nightstand in-between. Letting his pack just drop to the floor with little care, Natsu rounded on me, his dark and somewhat hurt expression making me almost regret blurting out the need for two separate beds. "What the hell was that about?" he spouted, gesturing in general to the two beds. "Luce, if sleeping in the same bed together made you uncomfortable, you should have said so. I can't believe I've been forcing you to – " The tone of his voice was almost pleading, strained. He genuinely was at a loss, and that thought alone made my chest hurt, so I instantly cut him off.

"Natsu, it's not like that," I said in an almost panicked tone, trying to keep an oncoming tremor out of my voice. I never wanted him to think that he made me uncomfortable, _ever_. I never wanted him to think that I thought nothing less than the world of him. My throat felt tight with emotion. Christ, did trying to put a little distance between the two of us have to hurt so bad? Was it _normal_ to hurt so bad? Looking down at the floor to continue avoiding his burning gaze, I said softly, "I... I guess I should have warned you first about the sleeping arrangements, but... remember that we agreed to put a hold on... _us_?" I asked, gesturing between him and me. "Well, I thought you might have known I also meant... Well, I just... I don't think I have the strength to hold our agreement if we sleep... _that_ close... All the time... I... I can't be... I don't trust myself in such a vulnerable position, with you _right next to me_. Just looking at you _does_ things to me sometimes. And you told me yourself, Natsu! Dragons mate for life. We can't just... _do that_ on a whim." Tears pricked my eyes as I heard myself talk in circles, but my thoughts were jumbled and I was hurt that he was hurt and it was my fault and –

"Luce!" Natsu finally said loudly over me, pulling a squeak from me as I stopped my ramble. Finally looking him in the eye for the first time since we entered town, I could feel the guilt and regret swimming behind the tears in my eyes and I was sure he could see it. His body noticeably relaxed, and like stigmata, mine finally seemed to relax a bit as well. Softly, he said, "I'm not mad or upset, Lucy. If this is what you think we need to do, then that's what we'll do. I told you. As my true mate, it pains me to sleep away from you, but I am also required to respect your decisions as long as they're reasonable. Mates are not hostages or slaves. They're equals. Well, unless they're outside of battle. Then the male treats his Queen like a goddess." Natsu ended that small tirade a bit more huskily, causing a shiver down my spine that I had to blatantly try to ignore.

Smiling at the wonderful dragon slayer in front of me, I said, "Thank you, Natsu." And I meant it. In the beginning, when we discovered I was his true mate, I expected him to kind of just try and take over and dictate my life. You know, 'Me man, you woman,' type deal. But I had been dead wrong, and it made my heart flutter even more than before. "I've dreamed of having you for a long time now. I think we can wait just a little longer." Shaking my head slightly as if to clear the last remaining thoughts, I changed the subject. "Alright, so what are we doing about food? I _really_ don't want to go back out in that cold just yet."

"I'm gonna go find us something hot to eat and stock up on supplies," Natsu readily answered, making a show of heading for the door to leave. "Don't leave this place unless you wanna freeze to death. Get yourself a nice hot bath. I'm sure you need it."

"Thanks..." was all I managed to say as I cranked the magical heat up just a bit more. Natsu stared at me, looking slightly uncomfortable for a moment before finally exiting the room.

…

"How on Earthland did you find genjeshi?!" I asked incredulously, looking at the steaming bowl of noodles Natsu had just set before me on the bed, along with piles of other food. Setting twice the amount of food bags on his own bed, Natsu just grinned at me.

"Like I'd tell you," he said teasingly, pulling out a brown paper wrapped package, complete with hay strings wrapped like a bow. Holding it out to me, he said, "I know we're doing the... 'cooling off' thing, and you really need this anyways, and I realized I never get you gifts, so... Anyways, here," he said, his cheeks reddening a bit as I gently grabbed the package gently from him.

"Wow, Natsu," I whispered, turning the package over in scrutiny. "This wasn't really necessary, though – "

"I wanted to do it," he said, cutting off my predictable answer to being given something. Especially something from him.

Maintaining eye contact, I nodded slowly in understanding. "Um, thank you," was all I could think to say as I turned the package over in my hands again, almost in a daze.

There was a moment of silence before Natsu's voice broke the silence. "Well, are you gonna open it?"

His voice kinda startled me. I was just thinking about all the times Natsu really _had_ given me things. Nothing tangible, but even better. He had saved my life more times than I could count over and over. He did some of the dumbest but sweetest shit ever too, like the tree down the canal. Or like when he brought me straight to Fairy Tail to all my new friends – my new family – my new _home_. Natsu had actually given me everything.

Wiping those thoughts away at Natsu's prompting, I carefully opened the brown paper, only to be met with some of the softest, _thickest_ fabric I had ever encountered.

"It's made from the wool of the Exosk Frost Sheep," Natsu said excitedly. "It's enchanted to keep the wearer warm, regardless of how cold it is on the outside of the cloak."

Honestly, the cloak I held gingerly in my fingers felt light as a feather for it being so thick and apparently fabricated from enchanted wool. What was even crazier was that the cloak looked as though it belonged on some noble person on a pleasant spring afternoon rather than a commoner trudging through frozen wastelands. Reaching the floor in length when it was clasped into place, the cloak was a deep rich red in color but it had an astounding gold embroidery lining that was absolutely stunning to behold.

"Natsu!" I exclaimed softly, standing and pulling on the cloak, adjusting it until it fell off my shoulders like it was supposed to. The heat that enveloped me was surreal but it seemed to be the precise temperature I needed. The feeling was indescribable. "Where the hell in this tiny ass town did you find something with such extraordinary magic?" I couldn't help but ask as I fingered the hem of the amazing work of fabric. "It must have cost a fortune."

"Well, yeah," he said, clearly admiring his gift on me as his eyes roamed my body hungrily. "But since the enchantment that I wanted placed on it needed a fire mage's magic to be effective, I got a huge discount for letting him use my fire and got it completely free when I offered up my magic for a few of his other cloaks." With that, Natsu grinned at me, cocking his head to the side like he always did when he was proud of himself

"It's enchanted with _your_ fire?" I asked disbelievingly, hugging the cloak tighter to myself as I felt my eyes grow misty and my cheeks go pink. The fabric was softer than anything I had ever felt in my entire life, and my magic seemed to respond in kind to the cloak's, recognizing Natsu's magic with ease and allowing me to completely relax. It was like being wrapped up in Natsu's arms. "But how do you even know how to enchant items with your fire – ?"

Natsu snorted as his grin became even bigger. "I don't, but the tailor across the street happens to be a Binding type wizard. He was able to channel my magic into the cloaks, binding my fire to the material and making them stay warm no matter what. The other enchantments won't last very long, maybe a year at most, but as long as I touch your cloak with my magic every now and then, your spell will last forever."

"Natsu, I..." I was completely at a loss. Natsu had obviously went through a lot of trouble to get the magical cloak for me, and I almost felt bad at how surprised I truly was. Was it really such a huge deal to get a gift from Natsu? "Is it my birthday or something? You never really give gifts..."

Natsu frowned briefly at that. "Yeah, I know..." Lightly shaking his head and bringing his bright smile back, he said, "I realized that so I felt kind of bad. You deserve everything in the world, and I'm supposed to be the one to do that for you. Besides, it's only fair since Happy and I eat all your food all the time. And also, since we agreed on... Calming things down between us... This cloak will help keep you warm without me. You're going to need it for where we're headed."

'God damn that infuriating dragon!,' I screamed to myself inside my head. I was trying to force us away from each other a little and the jerk had to do something so fucking sweet that all I wanted to do was rip his clothes off and ravish him thoroughly. But right then was definitely not the time to start feeling that discomfort between my legs. Trying to keep my emotions in check, as well as my libido, I said in a thick voice, "Thank you so much, Natsu. This is so... _Uncharacteristically_ nice of you, but I absolutely love it!"

I watched as Natsu seemed to sniff the air briefly, his eyes glazing over slightly before he shook his head roughly and smiled again. A dash of something hot seemed to flicker deep in his eyes, however. "Of course, Luce! You're my best friend. You said you wanted us to... pace ourselves better and I can't constantly keep using my magic to keep you warm so..." He let his words taper off, but I knew what he was getting at. To use his magic to help keep me warm would put us very close together... _Too_ close for a couple that was trying to maintain their distance from one another.

Taking the cloak off and setting it neatly on my bed, I turned and flung myself into a hug with Natsu. Yeah, yeah, keeping our distance and all that jazz, but this hug was different. It wasn't romantic or sexual. It was literally one best friend showing the highest gratitude towards another. "It's wonderful, Natsu. Really." Finally pulling away with a huge smile on my face, noting Natsu's completely elated expression, I asked, "So, ready to eat and hit the hay? Gotta start traveling early in the morning."

Natsu nodded, agreeing.

...

As difficult as it was to not let Natsu know just _how_ deeply I appreciated the gifted cloak, I somehow found the willpower deep within me to not gush over how warm I was beneath it as we trudged through an icy tundra thick with frozen solid snow. It worked spectacularly as we tracked across the frozen terrain that led us to the Steppes.

That night at the Inn, after lapsing momentarily on our agreement by hugging the slayer very tight and bodily, the two of us ate our meals on our respective beds before taking turns showering (even though I'd already had a hot bath). When it was time to sleep, it seemed even more awkward getting into separate beds from one another than sliding in next to each other in a single bed like we had already become accustomed to. I couldn't meet Natsu's eye as I rolled away from him on my bed, not liking the distance at all.

And neither of us slept well. Me, because nightmares from Faebridge seemed to come in swinging full force. Natsu would have slept fine if he wasn't so attuned to me that it barely took a few moments before he was wide awake, alert, and ready to wake me from the terrors in my sleep. He would always sooth me back to sleep, and I always woke up to see him back in his respective place. Deep down, it hurt. But who was I to hurt over the temporary arrangement of separation? It was my idea in the first place. I refused to finally give myself to the dragon's will just to have everything ripped away. Most say that it was better have loved and lost rather not loved at all, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that. As long as we stopped ourselves from taking anything further, taking a loss shouldn't hurt nearly as bad. At least, that was my reasoning.

We had just entered the boundary of Arid Steppes, which meant we were close to our destination. And it was just as grueling of a journey as Natsu said it would be. It was colder than anything I could have ever imagined (again, I was having the most difficult time not showing Natsu just exactly how much the cloak meant to me). The landscape the entire way was uneven and icy, making for quite a few ass-bustings for me, to which Natsu would of course have a maniacal fit of laughter every single time before helping me up.

The nights weren't much more easy going. There had already been one night where there wasn't a cave within range for us to set up in before the darkness fell, so Natsu and I were forced to share his tent and basically sleep on top of one another. Neither of us said a word about it the entire time, and I made sure there were a good couple of solid blankets between the two of us. All in all, everything was going smoothly and according to plan, no matter how cold and miserable it was.

Unfortunately for us, our "peaceful" time journeying was about to hit another large snag.

* * *

 **Please please please review! They're the best motivation for me EVER!**


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